


To the Fifth Power

by Napoleonic Power Monger (Rynegade)



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alien Influence, Angst, Domestic Fluff, Episode Related, F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Polyamorous / Polysexual relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2015-07-28
Packaged: 2018-04-09 01:04:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4327917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rynegade/pseuds/Napoleonic%20Power%20Monger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When an alien interrogation involves a truth serum, certain facts are revealed that change the way SG-1 interacts with each other and Cheyenne Mountain's CMO. [ A series of connected one-shots and episode rewrites ]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Elixir of Verity

**Author's Note:**

> napoleonicpowerqueen put the idea in my head (really, is anyone surprised at this point because I'm not) and my muse fell completely and utterly in love with the concept. This is set midway through season one and will progress through the series. My wonderful beta read through the chapters (thank you, Nova!) but I've fiddled with it since so all mistakes are my own, as always.

This isn’t how she expected to spend her day. The natives of P2X-970 were friendly during SG-2’s recon mission. and Sam Carter, chained to a wall, wonders where exactly things went wrong. Either SG-2 was woefully wrong in their assessment, or the natives put on quite a show for the travelers from the Ring of Stone. SG-1 never stood a chance; they were accosted immediately upon their exit from the stargate. A shock from the Oraan’s handheld weapons left all four members of the team unconscious and when they woke, they were strung up - by their wrists - in a cramped cellar-like room.

“Carter, what the hell happened?”

“I have no idea, sir.” Sam’s relieved to hear Jack O’Neill’s voice from across the dimly lit room. “We exited the stargate and then I woke up here.”

“SG-2 better hope this ends well or I’ll stick my foot up their sixes,” Jack grumps and Sam grins despite herself. She can’t see much of anything past a foot or so in front of her but she hears her superior officer shifting around.

“Is Daniel by you?”

“I’m right here,” Daniel Jackson groans from just to Sam’s left. “What the hell happened?”

“I was hoping you could tell me, Daniel.” Jack’s voice is unamused.

“I do not understand either, O’Neill.” Sam’s relieved to hear Teal’c’s voice and she sags against the cuffs that hold her up as she rejoices in the fact that the entire team is safe.

“Good of you to join us, Teal’c.” Jack still sounds amused and Sam huffs a quiet laugh at his tone.

“Are you all well?” Teal’c asks, making Sam nod before she remembers that it’s unlikely they can see her.

“I’m fine,” she says. “A little sore and twitchy but pretty good otherwise.”

“Ditto.” Daniel’s voice is resigned. “My nose itches, though.”

Sam’s in the middle of a laugh when a door slides open across from her. She slams her mouth shut and watches a large silhouette fill the doorframe, her eyes narrowing as she recognizes the prime minister of the city.

“You are to be taken for questioning,” the large man says. He steps aside, letting two more men into the room, and when they go for Sam, Jack speaks up.

“Hey, I’m the leader of the team,” he splutters and Sam feels her stomach sink when she realizes that the men aren’t listening to him.

“It’s okay, sir,” she says softly, wincing and stretching gingerly when the men release her hands from the cuffs. “I know how to handle interrogations.”

She hears Daniel and Teal’c join in with Jack’s spluttering objections as the two men lead her from the dim room. She blinks furiously when bright light assaults her eyes but she says nothing as she’s lead up a set of stairs and into a room that’s empty aside from a chair. The two guards push her into the room and slam the door shut behind her, leaving her alone to figure out what the hell is going on.

When the door opens again and Sam is deposited back into the dimly lit room with the rest of her team, Jack is horrified to see she’s a bloody, unconscious mess. The guards leave her in the middle of the room, an unmoving lump, before turning to approach Daniel.

“Wait just a damn minute,” Jack barks furiously. “I’m the leader, take me!”

“You’ll be taken for questioning,” one guard says to Daniel and Jack struggles against the cuffs at his wrists as he watches them unlock the archaeologist’s cuffs and pull him out of the room. When the door slams shut behind the trio, Jack turns his attention back to Sam.

“Carter!” She doesn’t respond and Jack frowns. “Carter, get up! That’s an order!” She doesn’t move and Jack groans softly. “Can you get free, Teal’c?”

“I cannot,” the large Jaffa replies. Jack squeezes his eyes shut for a moment to center himself and exhales slowly.

“I don’t understand what the hell is going on here,” he says finally. “None of this makes any sense.”

“SG-2 was in error,” Teal’c says, making Jack laugh humorlessly.

“Ya think?”

* * *

 

Daniel is returned in the same condition as Sam, who still hasn’t moved. The guards move to Teal’c and despite the fact that it hasn’t worked before, Jack can’t help but try to assert himself again.

“Take me,” he growls, irritated beyond belief when he’s ignored again. Teal’c holds his head high as he precedes the guards and Jack’s left with two of his team members bloody and unmoving. ‘Come on, guys, wake up,’ he thinks and suddenly there’s a soft sound, somewhere between a grunt and a groan, from Sam.

“Carter!”

“Sir?”

“Get up, Carter. Daniel’s down and I can’t get over there to check on him.” He watches Sam push herself onto her back and winces when he sees the vivid bruising already forming on the side of her head. “What’d they want, anyways?”

“That’s the thing,” she grunts, slowly pushing herself up. “They didn’t want anything except to know who told us about their planet.”

“They beat the crap out of you guys for that information?” Jack’s eyebrow does it’s best Teal’c impression. “That seems a little extreme.”

“They gave me something before they beat me.” It takes her a few tries but she finally gets upright and she’s busy checking over Daniel as she talks. “Something they said was an elixir of verity.” At Jack’s sharp inhale, Sam nods. “Some kind of truth serum, sir.”

“What’d you tell them?” he asks and is caught off-guard by her response.

“I told them that I find Janet attractive,” she says and claps a hand over her mouth. Her eyes are wide and her cheeks flush a brilliant red as she slowly turns her head to look up at Jack, who’s staring in shock. “Holy Hannah.”

“It’s not like it’s not common knowledge that Janet is a beautiful woman.” Daniel’s voice is quiet but his words reach the other two occupants of the room and Jack’s eyes snap to Daniel’s still form.

“She is, isn’t she?” Sam’s voice takes on an awed tone so unlike her own. “Sometimes I like to sit and stare at her when she’s doing her medical stuff because she’s just so damn beautiful.”

“I was happy when my appendix burst because it meant I got to spend time in the infirmary with her,” Daniel replies dreamily. Jack’s staring at them in utter shock and is ready to ask what the hell is going on but before he can speak, the door opens and Teal’c is pushed through.

He’s conscious, which is a vast improvement over how Sam and Daniel were returned, but he’s bloody and clearly took a beating. He stumbles over to the two unrestrained team members and sinks to the ground, and Sam pulls his head into her lap so she can smooth her hand over his cheek to check for injuries. The guards move to Jack and unlock him, holding one of their energy weapons out for him to see.

“You’ll be taken for questioning,” one says. “Resist and we will shoot your friends.”

Jack holds his hands up in surrender and as he walks past, he shoots Sam a look that tells her to behave. The door slams shut and Sam looks down at Teal’c.

“How are you feeling?” she asks gently, wiping at the blood on his face. Teal’c offers a rare smile, though it’s weak.

“I am better now, Samantha Carter. Being in close proximity to you and Daniel Jackson helps distract me from my injuries.”

“I hate knowing what they did to you two, what they’re doing to Jack right now,” Daniel says, finally getting himself upright as well. He shifts a little and leans against Sam for support.

“Indeed,” Teal’c says, looking up at Sam with a curious expression. “I have often admired your beauty, Samantha Carter, and yours as well, Daniel Jackson, but until now I have been able to control myself from speaking about it. Now I find I am unable to stay silent.”

“They gave us a truth serum for the interrogations,” Sam replies, smiling shyly at Teal’c’s words. “I know what you mean. I’ve had feelings for you guys since I started at the base.” Her eyes widen at her words and she shakes her head emphatically. “We can’t talk about this. The truth serum is going to make us brutally honest and we’ll say things we normally wouldn’t.”

“Like how much I want my teammates and Janet?” Daniel asks innocently and Sam splutters.

“Yes, exactly like that. Just because I feel the same way-” Sam slams her mouth shut and groans. Before she says anything else, though, the door opens and Jack is dumped into the room. He’s unconscious - not surprising, all things considered - and Daniel is the one to move this time, pulling Jack’s head into his lap in a mirror image of Sam and Teal’c.

They sit in silence for some time so when Jack groans, it’s loud. Sam helps Teal’c sit up and they both move urgently - albeit slowly - to sit on either side of Daniel and Jack. Sam reaches out and takes a hold of Jack’s wrist to check his pulse.

“Oh geez,” Jack mutters and Sam’s pleased to find that his return to consciousness is quicker than her own. “What the hell did they do that for?”

“Just lie still, Jack,” Daniel soothes and Sam smiles when Jack doesn’t listen, choosing to push himself upright instead. “Okay, that works too.”

“I feel like I got hit by a truck,” Jack grumps, giving Sam a grim look before rolling his shoulders.. “At least I had a good sight to wake up to.”

“You’re not such a bad sight yourself, sir,” Sam teases and then winces. “We really need to be careful about what we say.”

“I don’t care. I’ll tell you three that I’ve wanted you for years because there’s no shame in that,” Jack says, catching the others by surprise.

“Wow,” Daniel breathes and Sam laughs.

“It’s nice to know I’m not alone,” she says and Teal’c’s quiet voice sounds from the other side of Daniel.

“You are not alone,” he says. “I too have had feelings for you three.”

“And Janet!” Daniel pipes up, making the other three nod enthusiastically.

“Definitely,” Sam says softly.

“Indeed,” Teal’c agrees.

“Except when she’s coming at my six with a big honkin’ needle,” Jack grunts. “Not that I don’t enjoy it.” Sam barks a laugh and Jack groans. “Truth serum, right.”


	2. Rescues and Revelations

When their rescue arrives in the form of SG-9, Sam realizes that she’s more than ready to get back to Earth. She has no way of knowing how long the Oraan’s truth serum will stay in their bloodstream and while blatant honesty is normally amusing, things have turned personal quickly, and Sam would rather not tell Colonel Paxton that she’s harboring feelings for the entirety of SG-1 and the tiny doctor waiting back on Earth. She knows Paxton suspects something, though, when Sam can’t look at Daniel or Teal’c without grinning like an idiot and she flat-out refuses to look over at Jack for fear of saying something inappropriate but honest.

The walk to the stargate is slow because of the injuries SG-1 sustained at the hands of the Oraans so as they walk, Colonel Paxton explains how they knew they were in trouble; when SG-9 came through the stargate to meet up with SG-1 and didn’t find them, they tracked down the prime minister of Oraa and demanded answers. The man blustered and fussed but eventually admitted that his guards were questioning the travelers from the Ring of Stone because of the Jaffa they had with them. It took several hours for SG-9 to convince the prime minister that the other team was no threat.

“Took you long enough,” Jack grumbles under his breath. “I was starting to think you’d left us there to have our sixes handed to us for fun.”

Sam nudges him gently with her elbow and waves her hand at Paxton’s offended look. “Colonel O’Neill was drugged,” she explains vaguely. “All of us were, so please don’t hold anything we say against us.” Shaking her head, she nudges Jack again. “We’re not going to speak until we get back to the Mountain and let Janet determine how long the truth serum is going to stay with us.”

Jack just nods and the rest of the trek back to the gate is spent in silence. Sam watches Daniel and Teal’c walk ahead of her and smiles as she notes they’re walking a little closer than normal; apparently the truth serum not only affects their words but their actions as well. She feels Jack step closer to her and when he speaks, his voice is soft enough that only she can hear.

“Interesting day.”

“Yes sir.” She nods and steals a glance over at him, smiling. “Full of surprising revelations.”

“I don’t know about you, Carter, but I don’t intend to let those _revelations_ go.” Jack’s eyebrow raises a little and Sam grins.

“No sir, I don’t intend to either.”

* * *

 

General Hammond is waiting for them when they exit the gate, as is a medical team headed by Janet. At the sight of the four bloodied members of SG-1, Janet and her nurses leap into action; the diminutive doctor assigns each of her staff to a person while she herself steps up to Sam and studies her quickly.

“What happened?” she asks and Sam groans internally at the question; she knows Janet won’t like the answer.

“We got the shit beat out of us because the Oraans were worried about Teal’c’s presence. The stupid assholes assumed we were goa’uld there to take over their world.” Hammond splutters at Sam’s choice of words but the blonde just shakes her head and sighs. “We were given a truth serum before we were interrogated. It’s inhibiting our ability to filter what comes out of our mouths. If we think it, we say it.”

“Yep, like how I’ve always wondered if you polish your head to get it so shiny,” quips Jack and the horror on his face is almost as funny as the indignation on Hammond’s. “I, uh, I’m sorry, sir.” He grimaces and rubs at the back of his neck. “Can’t help it, no filter and all that.”

“Get yourselves to the infirmary.” Sam drops her head to stop herself from laughing as Hammond huffs for a moment longer. “And get that fixed as soon as you can, Doctor.”

“Sam?” Janet’s gentle hand on her forearm brings Sam’s attention back to the small doctor and when she glances down, she’s met with brown eyes wide with concern. “Let’s get you to the infirmary so I can help you.”

Sam nods and stares at her, finding it increasingly more difficult to stop herself from blurting out her affection. It takes her a second to ground herself and when she manages to tear her eyes away from Janet’s, she looks up to find Jack, Daniel, and Teal’c all staring at Janet as well. They’ve each got varying degrees of lust playing across their faces and Sam knows it’s important to get SG-1 into a private room quickly, before one of them embarrasses themselves.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

* * *

 

Situating herself on the bed furthest from the door, Sam watches as the rest of her team bypass their own beds and make themselves comfortable on her bed and the one directly across from it. When the nurses step forward in an attempt to herd the guys to their own curtained beds, Sam shakes her head.

“They’re fine.”

Janet looks between each member of SG-1 and frowns before nodding to her charge nurse, sending her away. Sam watches the doctor with a smile, noting the woman’s growing confusion but she decides to let her stew for a little longer.

“So can you tell me what happened?” Janet finally asks, pulling a tray within reach. “You’re all pretty banged up.”

“We were interrogated in a less-than-subtle manner,” Teal’c intones blandly, his expression finally under control. “We were separated, drugged, and beaten for information.”

“Ah,” Janet breathes, swallowing hard as she turns her attention to gathering a saline wash and gauze to clean Sam’s wounds. “I see. I suspect there’s a lot of blood but not much-”

“We were also forced to realize a few things.” Daniel interrupts the smaller woman, who lifts an eyebrow.

“A few things like what?”

“Like that we all have a mutual attraction,” replies Jack and Janet chokes on a cough before turning to stare at him.

“A mutual attraction?”

“We’re all attracted to you.” Sam answers this time and when Janet jerks around to stare at her, Sam continues. “And each other.”

“Indeed.” Teal’c’s tone is warm as he smiles faintly. “It was a most unpleasant interrogation but the knowledge that has come from it makes it worth it. I have realized that I desire to be intimate with each of you.”

Janet stares at each person for a split second and then starts to laugh, softly at first but increasingly louder with each passing moment. By the time the others have registered that she’s laughing, she’s bent over double with tears forming in her eyes.

“Janet?” Sam asks, concerned at the normally controlled doctor’s outburst. It takes the brunette a minute but she gets herself under control and wipes the tears from her cheeks as she beams at each of them in turn.

“It’s about damn time!” she says fondly, shaking her head. “I was afraid I was going to have to take drastic measures to get you four to see what I’ve seen all along.”

“You knew?!” Jack sounds incredulous. “Why the hell didn’t you tell us?”

“I was going  to, I swear. But how subtle is it to approach four different people and tell them that you have feelings for them and that you’re pretty sure they’ve got feelings for each other? Polyamorous relationships aren’t common; they’re next to unheard of in the Air Force and nonexistent between close colleagues.”

“Holy hannah,” Sam sighs, shaking her head. “All this time wasted when we could’ve been having really great sex.”


	3. Inopportune Giggles

A soft knock at Janet’s front door makes her jump. She’s not expecting anyone this late - it’s after midnight, after all - so she’s not entirely presentable in her sweats and t-shirt, though she can’t bring herself to mind much. When she glances through the peephole and sees Sam, though, she has a brief moment of irritation that she chose not to change before she can brush the thought aside.

“Sam!” she says happily when she opens the door. “What a surprise. Please, come in.” Stepping back so the blonde can enter, Janet suddenly frowns. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Sam says with a smile as she steps past the brunette. “I just didn’t get a chance to talk to you after I left the infirmary and wanted to come by and thank you personally for fixing me up this afternoon.”

“All in a day’s work.” Janet sits back on the couch and pats the spot next to her. “Have a seat and stay a while?”

Sam plops herself next to Janet and grins, shaking her head. “It never fails to amuse me that we have such unusual days. Do you ever stop and think about what it’d be like to work a normal, 9-5 job?”

“You’d get bored and I’d probably kill someone.” Janet laughs and shrugs. “The nature of our jobs are definitely not normal but I, for one, thoroughly enjoy what I do. I’ve got a good team and great friends.”

“About that.” Sam takes a breath and then plows on. “I’m glad the truth serum let us speak our minds so freely but I’m even more grateful that you were receptive to what we had to say.”

“Of course I am, Sam. It’s something I’ve wanted for a very, very long time.” Janet smiles fondly. “Imagine you suddenly got that auto-assist apparatus for your lab that you’ve been wanting for so long.”

“Good analogy,” Sam says with a laugh. “I’d be ecstatic.” She turns on the couch to fully face Janet and reaches out to take her hand. “The guys and I talked about it and I was chosen to come talk to you. We want it all, Janet. It won’t be easy and I know for a fact that Jack’s going to need to be threatened with the big needles a few times before he stops being a pain in the ass but the four of us are committed if you are.”

Janet blinks furiously against the burn of tears as the one thing she’s wanted most since she started at Cheyenne Mountain is presented to her. “I’m more than committed,” she whispers gruffly, giving Sam’s hand a squeeze. The blonde smiles brightly and Janet’s fairly certain she’s going to burst into tears at the joy on Sam’s face. “Thank you, Sam.”

Sam responds with a kiss instead of words, her lips pressing lightly against Janet’s. The brunette sighs and presses her body close to the other woman’s, feeling the curves and dips that make up the woman she’s wanted for as long as she’s known her. They kiss gently for a while, keeping the contact teasing and light but Janet decides to step things up and nibbles on Sam’s lower lip. She’s gratified to hear the blonde groan, which makes her pull away so she can smile brightly.

“Can you stay the night?”

“There’s nowhere else I want to be,” Sam says and then blushes as she laughs. “God that’s such a horrible cliche.”

“Well it works for me.” Janet kisses her quickly. “Cassie’s at a friend’s house for the weekend so it’s just us.”

“Good.” Sam wraps her arms around Janet’s small form and pulls her close again, kissing her enthusiastically. When they have to part to breathe, she smiles wickedly. “We should take this to your bedroom before I end up taking you here on the couch.”

“As tempting as that sounds,” Janet replies with a grin, “We don’t want to have to explain any injuries we’d get from falling off the couch. Let’s go.”

She stands and offers her hand to Sam, pulling the blonde up and into her arms for a quick kiss before lacing their fingers together and tugging her toward the master bedroom. Halfway down the hallway, though, Sam stops and tugs on her hand. Janet finds her back pressed against the wall with Sam pressed against her front, kissing her deeply. She groans and wraps her arms around the taller woman’s neck, returning the kiss with equal vigor and it’s only when she feels Sam’s hips press against her own that she realizes just how excited she is for this to happen.

* * *

Janet wakes slowly, the feeling of a warm body against her back making her smile as she stretches slightly. She sighs quietly and wiggles back into Sam’s embrace, closing her eyes again as she replays the sleepless night and the seemingly endless rounds of lovemaking they found themselves in. The memory of a particularly rowdy session makes her cheeks flame and she turns her head, burying her face in her pillow as she blushes.

“No need to be shy now.” Sam’s sleepy whisper is followed by a soft kiss against the base of Janet’s neck and the feeling of the blonde’s lips against her skin makes Janet shudder slightly.

“I was remembering that unfortunately timed case of the giggles you got,” she says as she rolls in Sam’s arms, facing her lover. “Unfortunate but interesting.” She kisses Sam lightly and grins.

“God, I felt so silly.” Sam presses her face into Janet’s neck and lets her lips trail over the soft skin there. Janet hums quietly and tilts her head to allow Sam room to move, her toes curling when the blonde finds the spot behind Janet’s ear that drives her absolutely wild.

“Well maybe you could make it up to me?” she purrs, biting her lip when Sam rolls her onto her back and grins down at her.

“I can definitely make it up to you.”

Janet wraps her arms around Sam’s neck and pulls her down for a kiss as her hips lift off the bed to push against her lover’s. The kiss deepens and Janet feels herself growing more and more aroused with each passing moment until she swears she’s about to come without actually needing to be touched. Just as she has that thought, though, Sam’s fingers brush against her and make her cry out. Her body jerks and she spreads her legs, eager to feel Sam’s touch intimately. When the blonde obliges, checking her readiness before easily slipping two fingers into her, Janet whimpers.

“God yes,” she groans. Her hips move instinctively so that she’s riding Sam’s hand and she’s gratified to hear her lover’s answering groans. “You know exactly what I like.”

“Good,” Sam grunts and then kisses her hard, her thumb sliding up to firmly caress Janet’s clit. Janet cries out and jerks against Sam, her eyes widening as she feels her entire body responding to the stimulation. Not wanting Sam to be left out, she manages to situate her leg between the blonde's and presses her thigh against Sam as hard as she can. They writhe together for long minutes, grunting and groaning as they reach for their peaks and the way Sam stiffens as she climaxes is enough to send Janet over the edge. When she climaxes, her entire body stiffens as she cries out. An endless minute later, she sags against the bed and tries to catch her breath.

“Oh god.” She buries her face in Sam’s neck and twitches pleasurably when Sam removes her fingers from between her legs. “That was amazing.”

“Did it make up for my giggles last night?” Sam asks while pressing soft kisses against Janet’s temple. The brunette nods and tightens her grip on her lover, running her hands up and down Sam’s back.

“Oh yeah.” Kissing her shoulder, Janet looks up at Sam and grins. “So what are the chances the guys are having their own bonding time?”


	4. Thunderstorms

‘ _The rainy weather is perfect for staying inside_ ,’ Janet thinks with a smile, pulling her blanket around her shoulders as she wanders into the living room. Cradling a mug of hot tea in one hand, she holds the throw blanket under her chin and sinks onto the couch, her body automatically leaning into the warmth Daniel’s body offers.

“Cassie’s good?” he asks and Janet nods with a smile.

“She loves going to camp but she’s not a big fan of thunderstorms so she called when she got a chance because she needed to make sure I’m okay,” she says fondly, her smile growing at the thought of her daughter. “She’s thoughtful like that.”

“Like mother, like daughter,” Daniel replies, wrapping an arm around Janet’s small frame as he settles further into the couch. “So which movie are we watching tonight?”

“I don’t really care.” Janet smiles up at him and shrugs. “It’s up to you.”

“Uh, how about ‘The Mummy’?”

“I’m so terribly not surprised,” Janet says drolly, leaning in and kissing him lightly before pulling away to set her tea on the coffee table so she can find the DVD. “Cassie was just talking about wanting to do an archaeology summer camp next year, you know.”

“Really?” Daniels’ face lights up as he grins at her. “I’ve got a few suggestions, if you’d like, old friends in the field who are always willing to take on an apprentice for the summer and whatnot.”

“She’d love that!” Janet finds the wayward DVD after a brief search and loads it into the player. Satisfied that it’s going to load and play, she settles herself next to Daniel again and wraps an arm around his stomach as she kisses his shoulder and rests her cheek against it. “But a whole summer without Cass seems impossible. I’m having a hard time being away from her while she’s at camp and Sam just drove her up there yesterday.”

Daniel chuckles softly and tugs her closer. “She’s a good kid, Janet. You’ve done an amazing job raising, consider you did it by yourself while still being the base CMO.”

“I was never alone,” she says quietly, lifting her head to look at him. “We may not have admitted how we felt but you, Jack, Sam, and Teal’c made sure I wasn’t alone in raising Cassie. You four are just as much her parents as I am.”

Daniel stares down at her and Janet suddenly finds herself swept up in a tight embrace. “Thank you,” he whispers. Janet threads her fingers into his hair and tugs lightly to bring his face to hers.

“Don’t thank me, Daniel, it’s true,” she smiles softly. “Cassie loves the four of you just as much as she loves me and I know you love her too.” She kisses him softly, tenderly, and his arms tighten around her to keep her close. They stay that way for a few minutes, kissing lightly, and when he pulls back, his blue eyes have darkened significantly.

“We can watch the movie later,” he husks, making Janet nod enthusiastically. They stand and she leads him to the bedroom, smiling when he comes behind her and snakes his arms around her waist. “I’ve wanted this for a very long time, Janet.”

“So have I,” she breathes, leaning back against him as her eyes close. “For a very long time.”

He kisses her neck just beneath her ear and she groans softly, tilting her head a little to give him room. His lips leave a trail of fire up and down her neck and by the time he nibbles on her earlobe, Janet’s breathing heavily in anticipation. Her arms cover his over her stomach and she presses back against him, licking her lips when she feels evidence of his arousal against her lower back. She moves her hips slightly and is rewarded with a quiet hiss and a nip at her neck.

“Have mercy,” he begs. “Please, Janet, I don’t know how long I can control myself.”

“Then don’t,” she breathes. Turning in his embrace, she stretches up and kisses him hard. Her hips press into his and he groans raggedly, his hands wandering from her hips up her sides to rest against her ribs. She bites at his lower lip and he groans again, one hand moving to her spine and sliding down it. When he reaches the bottom of her shirt, he slips his fingers underneath and traces a light line on her skin. She’s ticklish, though, and the soft touch makes her laugh into his mouth. “I should warn you now that I’m extremely ticklish.”

“That’s good to know,” he says with a grin, moving his fingers around to brush against her stomach. “I’ll try not to torment you too badly.”

“Oh thanks.” Janet sighs happily at the feeling of his touch and she rests her hands on his chest for a moment before sliding them down to the waistband of his pants. Glancing up at him through her lashes, she grins. “This would be a lot nicer without clothes, you know.” He keeps his eyes locked on hers as he slowly lifts her shirt and when she lifts her arms, he pulls the shirt up and over her head. She grins at the way his eyes widen when he takes in the black lace bra she’s wearing and reaching up, she uses a finger to lift his chin and close his mouth. “I’m wearing a matched set.”

Daniel grunts as he unbuttons Janet’s jeans and slides his hands down the back of her pants. “God, Janet, you’re amazing,” he whispers when she grinds against him and bites at his shoulder. Janet laughs and mimics him, slipping her hands down the back of his jeans to grip his ass, pulling him flush against her. Her eyes lock onto his as she grins and takes a step back toward the bed, intent on getting him on top of her as soon as possible. When the backs of her knees hit the edge of the bed, she lets herself fall back and takes him with her, grunting softly when he lands on top of her. She stares up at him and smiles, her body starting to move under him, and she quirks an eyebrow.

“We’re still overdressed,” she says and he’s a sudden flurry of energy, pushing himself up so he can tug at her pants. When he succeeds in getting them down over her hips, she realizes - with no little amount of satisfaction - that he’s gotten her panties down too. Biting her lip as she wriggles to help him, she’s gratified to see how flustered he is; it’s nice to know she’s still got it. Daniel’s eyes stay on her body as he climbs off the bed to remove his own pants and when Janet sees the rather impressive size of him, her eyes widen. “I’m not entirely sure how you’re going to fit but it’s going to be ridiculously fun trying.”

The humor lightens the moment and Daniel laughs as he gets his pants and boxers down. The sight of his body, so toned after being on SG-1 for nearly a year, makes her mouth water and it takes him running a finger down her cheek and joking, “Hey, my eyes are up here,”  to bring her out of her haze. Grinning sheepishly, Janet finishes removing her pants but when she moves her hands to the front clasp of her bra, he stops her.

“Let me?” His fingers trace the swell of her breasts through the lace and Janet’s breath catches in her throat. Nodding jerkily, she rests her hands on the bed and leans back a little to offer more room for him to move. He kneels in front of her and his hands gentle as he pops the latch of her bra and smooths the lacy fabric open. Her breathing deeps again when he stares hungrily, his eyes darkened to an impossible shade of blue. She reaches out and runs her fingers through his hair, and her back arches when he leans in and licks her breastbone, right between her breasts.

“Oh god,” she whispers, groaning softly as he does it again. When his mouth closes over a nipple, Janet cries out and squeezes her eyes shut. “Oh fuck.”

She loses herself in the sensation of Daniel’s mouth - and dear god, his tongue - making love to her breasts and it's all she can do to keep herself from tipping over the edge. Tugging on his hair lightly as her chest heaves, she pulls him away and leans forward to kiss him hard. She wraps her arms around his waist and lies back again, bringing him with her and when their bodies press together fully, both groan.

“You feel so good,” Daniel whispers into her mouth as she arches up to rub against him. “And I’m not even in you yet.”

Janet grins slyly as she wiggles a little and gets her legs spread a little. “Let’s remedy that,” she replies and bends her knees to cradle him against her. The feeling of his erection pressing against her makes her gasp and she surges up into him again, panting quietly. “I need you, Daniel. Now.”

After a moment of shuffling and adjusting, Daniel pushes into her and the feeling of that first penetration steals Janet's breath and makes her see stars. She’s always loved the way her body stretches in that first moment but this - this is sublime. Her hips move of their own accord and once Daniel’s done grimacing from finally being in her, their bodies fall into a natural, easy rhythm. Janet slides her arms around Daniel's neck as she meets each thrust with a counter move and the feeling of him moving inside of her is as close to heaven as she thinks she can get. She bits her lip as she stares up at him, their eyes locked in a heated stare, and shifts her hips a little to take him deeper with his next thrust.

The first tingles of her climax sear through her nerves and she feels herself losing the rhythm they have going. Her hips jerk against him and suddenly she’s there, falling and soaring all at once as she peaks. Daniel’s right behind her and through the haze of orgasm, she feels him stiffen and jerk as he climaxes. They writhe together for several long seconds and then he falls forward, lying on her and pressing her into the mattress. She wants to wrap her arms around him and hold him close but she’s pretty sure she’s turned into a limp noodle and can’t get her limbs to obey orders, so she settles for kissing every inch of his face that she can reach.

“That was -”

“Amazing,” she finishes, whimpering softly when he rolls off her - pulling out in the process - but he wraps her up in his arms and she sighs happily. “I needed that.”

“You and me both. I thought I’d explode if I waited any longer,” Daniel replies and Janet laughs. When she shivers as the air cools their sweaty bodies, he reaches behind him lazily and pulls the edge of the blankets up and over so they’re covered. “Can’t have you catching a cold.”

“How considerate.” She beams up at him before she kisses him softly. “Thank you, Daniel. That was perfect.”


	5. Chicken Soup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter makes a reference to domestic violence but doesn't describe it. I'm not sure where the fandom came up with the idea that Janet's ex-husband didn't treat her well but I've sort of taken that on as truth. I've also taken liberties with Janet's history - I tried to stay relatively close to what I know about her from Teryl's Janet biography but I know it deviates a bit. Sorry in advance...

She’s got a headache that just won’t go away and it’s irritating her. Waking up four hours before the alarm goes off is never pleasant, especially when the rush to consciousness is accompanied by an unavoidable dash to the bathroom, and Janet is thoroughly unimpressed with her body’s mutiny. She hasn’t been this sick since she started at the SGC so when she calls in and lets her staff know that she won’t be coming in, they’re all amusingly alarmed. She promises to take it easy and that it’s just a stomach bug, but her charge nurse insists on letting Sam know that the doctor is ill; it’s no secret that Sam is her best friend and Cathy is insistent that ‘Major Carter will want to know so she can check in on her’.

Janet doesn’t tell the woman that Sam’s the one who convinced her to call in to begin with - no one at the Mountain knows about their relationship - so when she hangs up, she knows she’ll be getting a call from an amused Sam shortly. Tossing her cell phone on the nightstand by her bed, Janet rolls over and tries to go back to sleep. She manages to get a few more hours of shuteye before she’s back in the bathroom, heaving endlessly into the toilet again and cursing Daniel for getting her sick. Her cell phone rings just as she makes it back to her bed and it’s not Sam, which is a surprise.

“Hey, heard you weren’t feeling well,” Jack says, making Janet grin.

“Sam told you?”

“Yep. She said she made you stay home today so you - how did she put it - oh yeah, so you don’t infect the entire base with your barfy flu,” he says and she laughs. “You don’t sound sick, Janet.”

“Oh trust me, I’m sick. If you’d called a minute sooner you’d have heard just how sick I am,” she retorts, her grin widening. “Thanks for calling to check up on me, Jack.”

“Anytime.” She can hear his smile over the phone. “Just promise you’re not going to be as ‘sharing is caring’ as Daniel was.”

“No, I don’t think I’ll - ” She’s cut off by a knock at the front door and she frowns. “Are you at my front door, Jack?”

“Nooo,” he drawls, which makes Janet huff.

“I don’t really want to get up but I can’t ignore it.”

“They don’t know you’re home, just don’t answer the door and they’ll go away.”

The knocking gets louder and more persistent so Janet sighs and climbs out of bed. “I can’t, they’re getting annoying,” she says as she pulls on her robe and pads down the hallway. “You’re sure it’s not you being a pain in my ass?”

“No way, I value my life and would never mess with the holder of the big honkin’ needles.”

Janet laughs and shakes her head but when she reaches the door and glances out the peephole, she freezes. “What the -”

“What’s wrong?” Jack’s tone loses its levity and Janet’s grateful he knows her well enough to hear the change in her voice.

“It’s Michael,” she breathes, her heart in her throat. “I don’t know how he got my address.”

“Janet! I know you’re in there!” The harsh voice on the other side of the door does nothing for Janet’s anxiety and she finds herself wishing fervently that she’s not alone in the house.

“Don’t let him in,” Jack orders and Janet hears a rustling on the other end of the line. “I’m on my way, okay? Just stay go to your bedroom and stay quiet until I get there.”

“Hurry,” she whispers, her hands trembling as she grips the phone and slowly eases away from the door. She’s a few steps away when her ex-husband bangs on the door again and the loud noise makes her jump.

“Janet! Janet, let me in!”

“Oh god,” she breathes, shaking her head as she feels her stomach flip and the telltale signs of nausea flare up. Turning on her heel, she runs for her bathroom and just manages to lock the door behind herself before she vomits.

* * *

The sound of her front door opening has Janet on her feet immediately, though her body protests violently to the sudden change in position. Clamping her hand over her mouth to keep from emptying her stomach again, she presses herself into a corner and squeezes her eyes shut. ‘ _Please don’t find me, please don’t find me_.’

“Janet? It’s me.”

Jack’s voice is the most welcome thing she’s heard in ages and she hurries to unlock the bathroom door before she can’t ignore her stomach any longer and dry heaves into the toilet. She’s aware of her trembling but she can’t stop it; the stress and sickness have her shaking like a leaf and there’s nothing she can do about it. A warm hand on her back makes her jump but she recognizes Jack’s presence and turns to press herself into his side with a quiet sob.

“It’s okay, I’ve gotcha,” Jack says, wrapping his arms around her shuddering form and pulling her into a gentle hug. “He’s gone, Janet. Teal’c’s out in the living room and Michael is gone.”

“I don’t know how he found me,” she whispers brokenly, shaking her head. “I moved right after the divorce and he wasn’t supposed to have any way of finding me.”

“Come on, let’s get you back in bed.” Jack helps her stand and Janet’s grateful for his steady support as they make their way back to her bed. Sitting heavily on the edge of the bed, she bends over and lets her head fall into her hands. Jack sits next to her, keeping his arm around her shoulders as he pulls her close. “Wanna talk about it?”

“What is there to talk about?” Janet laughs harshly. “We met in elementary school, my parents loved him, he proposed right after we graduated high school and my mom begged me to marry him. I wanted to go to med school and be a doctor, he wanted to be a drunk lazy asshole who had a wife to take care of him but of course that’s not how he presented himself so I said yes.

“My mom died a year later and he started knocking me around because he knew I had nowhere else to go.” She swallows against another wave of nausea but continues. “He was furious when I joined the Air Force. Told me that I’d get myself killed on my first deployment and that if I didn’t, he’d make sure I couldn’t be deployed again.” She notes how tense Jack’s getting but she plows on. “I got shot my first time overseas and came home with a bullet in my leg. He never came to the hospital and when I was released, my brother had to come pick me up to take me home. Michael was drunk when I got home and I could tell Pat didn’t want to leave me alone with him but he had no choice. That was the first night I truly thought Michael was going to kill me.”

Her voice is a soft whisper by the time she’s done. Jack’s sitting silently next to her and just when his silence starts to make her nervous, he wraps his other arm around her and pulls her into a hug, pressing his face against her hair.

“I’m so sorry, Janet.”

She hates herself for crying over her ex-husband again but the emotional upheaval of the day overwhelms her and she lets herself cry, taking immense comfort in the reassuring hold Jack has on her. Her body trembles with the release of her tears and she cries until she has nothing left, until she’s cried as much as she physically can. Jack kisses her temple and holds her until she pulls away and wipes at her eyes.

“So now you know,” she shrugs. “I was too scared to leave him when I should have but while I was on my second deployment, I realized I deserved so much better than him. I moved out, filed for divorce, and came to the Mountain to work until I qualify for retirement.”

“You deserve infinitely more than him.” Teal’c’s voice comes from the bedroom door and she looks over at the Jaffa with a watery smile. “You are an exceptional woman, Janet Fraiser, and you do not deserve to be treated with such disrespect.” He crosses the bedroom and sits next to Janet, taking her small hand in his larger one. “As long as I draw breath, I swear to you that he will never harm you again.”

She presses her lips together to stop herself from crying again and lifts her free hand to touch his cheek softly. “Thank you, Teal’c. I truly appreciate that.” She’s tired now -  that damn headache is still pounding away - and she looks between the two men with a small smile. “If you two don’t have anywhere to be . . .”

“There’s nowhere we’d even think of being,” Jack assures her. He helps her back into bed and when Sam and Daniel arrive an hour later, they find Teal’c and Jack lying on either side of a sleeping Janet.

* * *

 When she wakes up again, Janet finds herself in the middle of a giant tangle of warm bodies. Her back is tucked up against Jack but her head is on Teal’c’s shoulder, one hand thrown across the large Jaffa where it’s being held by Sam. Daniel’s on the other side of Jack, one hand lazily tracing soothing circles on Janet’s shoulder, and they’re all speaking quietly. Blinking sleepily, Janet smiles.

“Well this is a great way to wake up,” she says through a yawn. Teal’c’s chest rumbles with his soft laughter.

“It is a pleasurable way to stay awake as well.”

Janet grins at his teasing and turns a little to look over her shoulder at Jack and Daniel. “Doing okay over there?”

“I didn’t understand what you could possibly need with a California king bed but now I see the benefits,” Jack replies with a cheeky grin. “We’ll all fit quite comfortably.”

“I like my stretching room,” she says and demonstrates by pushing her arms above her head and stretching smoothly. Teal’c’s hand settles on the skin of her abdomen exposed by her lifting shirt and Janet laughs, wiggling slightly. “That tickles.”

“I apologize,” he says sincerely, concern coloring his features. Janet presses a kiss to his shoulder and settles back against him, smiling across his chest at Sam.

“You didn’t have to leave the base,” she says softly. “I’m okay.”

“Teal’c called me and told me what was going on so of course we had to leave the base. Hammond gave all of us the rest of the day off and told us to make sure your house is secured,” Sam replies, taking Janet’s hand again and lacing their fingers together. “I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone this morning. I’m sorry, Janet.”

“It’s just a flu, Sam. You had no way of knowing he’d find me,” Janet soothes, squeezing Sam’s fingers lightly. “It’s okay now.”

“Hey, I was here!” Jack squawks in mock indignation, making Sam and Janet laugh. “I’m capable of taking care of people, thank you very much.”

“I never doubted you for a second,” Daniel says and Jack huffs. “I mean, I can see how someone else might be concerned about your abilities but me? No way, I have the utmost faith in you.”

“Teal’c.” Jack’s tone is beseeching. “Teal’c, man, please help me out here.”

“I cannot,” the large man replies, making everyone laugh. Janet stretches a little more and then sighs softly as her lower back pops.

“I have to get up,” she groans, burying her face into Teal’c’s shoulder while Daniel’s hand runs up and down her back lightly.

“What do you need?”

“I need to attempt eating,” she sighs, turning her head so she can rest her cheek against Teal’c’s chest. “I haven’t eaten today because the thought of food’s made me sick to my stomach .”

“I’ll make soup,” Daniel offers. “Sam and I stopped at the store on our way to the Mountain this morning and I grabbed a few cans of chicken noodle soup.”

“I grabbed a bottle of Sprite,” Sam adds with a nod. “I figured it’d be a good thing to have on hand.”

“Well it’s settled then,” Jack announces. “Teal’c and I will stay in here and laze about with Janet while Sam and Daniel go slave over a hot stove and warm up soup.” He grins at Sam’s indignant huff but ignores her in favor of shooing Daniel off the bed. “Go on then, she’s withering away here and we can’t have that.”

Sam leans over Teal’c and presses a kiss to Janet’s forehead before climbing off the large bed. She offers Daniel a hand up and they leave the room, laughingly complaining about Jack already being bossy in bed. Janet closes her eyes again and settles herself closer to Teal’c while her hand reaches back and searches for Jack’s.

“Thank you,” she whispers, smiling faintly. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been taken care of so thoroughly.”

“Any time, Janet.” Jack scoots a little closer and wraps his free arm around Janet’s waist to hold her close. “If you ever, and I mean ever, don’t feel safe here - for whatever reason - I want you to call me. You’ll come stay with one of us, okay?”

Janet nods and smiles faintly as she relaxes between the two men. “I appreciate that,” she sighs, turning her head slightly so she can see Jack. “I really do.” Jack leans close and kisses her softly, his arm tightening around her waist for a moment. When he pulls back, Janet smiles and whispers, “I appreciate that too.”

“As do I.” Teal’c runs his hand down her arm and over to Jack’s. The three of them lie there in silence, holding onto each other, and Janet’s just about to drift off again when Sam and Daniel come back into the room bearing trays of soup and crackers. It takes a minute of shuffling and scooting but the five of them get situated so that they can eat. Sam’s leaning against Daniel, who leans against Jack. Jack has Janet pressed against his side and Teal’c’s on the other side of her, which works just fine for the small woman. She loves the feeling of being between the two, though she can’t say why other than they make her feel safe.

The soup isn’t the best - canned soup rarely tastes like anything other than a vague mockery of food - but it’s soothing on Janet’s empty stomach and she empties her bowl. She leans back against the headboard and takes a minute to study the four people sharing her bed at the moment and the sight of these four people, the men and the woman she’s come to care for far more than she ever expected, makes her irrationally happy. She watches them eat and joke, a smile playing around her mouth as she listens to their easy banter. They’re all so special to her, have been since the day she arrived at the Mountain, and Janet can’t help but feel like the luckiest person in the galaxy.


	6. In the Line Of Duty

She knows something’s wrong but she can’t quite put her finger on it. The feeling’s been bugging her for most of the day - since SG-1 came back through the gate with the refugees, actually - but Janet’s so busy that she hasn’t really had a chance to sit and examine the sensation. It’s sitting in the pit of her stomach like a stone and no matter how hard she tries, she can’t shake it. She attributes it to her lovers’ brush with the Jaffa gliders on Nasya and decides she’ll need to talk to the others when she gets home, just to reassure herself that they’re okay.

She’s been at Academy Hospital for a few hours now, running tests and treating the wounded refugees, and Cassie’s sitter brings her over when the young woman’s time watching her is up. Janet watches her daughter paint for a while, amused at the blonde stick figures the girl puts into every piece of art; she’s a big fan of Sam - ‘Who isn’t?’ - and wants the blonde’s stick figure next to hers at all times. When she’s satisfied that Cassie’s settled and occupied, Janet heads out to do her rounds. She’s checking one of the more badly injured Nasyans, a man with extreme burns, when Sam arrives. The fact that she’s wearing an olive jumpsuit instead of her BDUs makes Janet frown to herself but she says nothing about it and shoots Sam a smile instead.

“This one of the Nasyans we saved?” Sam asks and Janet nods, turning her attention back to the chart she’s scribbling in.

“Yeah, should be dead,” she replies, charting the patient’s heartrate and pulse ox as she speaks. “Cassandra is in my office. Now, I still have rounds to make but you know where it is?” She glances up at Sam and is satisfied to see her nod. Smiling as she leaves, Janet moves to the next room and checks in on a young woman with a broken arm. When she’s certain the patient is comfortable and pain-free, she moves on.

A quick glance at the clock tells her that she’s off duty for lunch in ten minutes and since her rounds are done, she decides to duck out a few minutes early to grab Cassie so they can head down to the cafeteria and enjoy lunch together. But when she gets to her office, the door is locked. Frowning, she tries the handle again and peers through the frosted glass, trying to see in. She can vaguely see Cassie’s outline and she knocks on the door lightly.

“Cassie?” 

“Go away!”

That makes Janet recoil; she’s never heard Cassie speak like that and the tears in the little girl’s voice alarm her. “I can’t do that, Cassie. Open the door please.”

“I won’t open it for anyone but Uncle Jack!” 

Janet’s heart drops when she realizes that the feeling she’s been having wasn’t just passing fancy; something’s wrong and she’s clueless. “Alright, I’ll call Colonel O’Neill right now, okay? Just open the door, sweetheart.”

“No!”

Janet hurries to the nurse’s station and dials the base, praying silently that Jack’s available and not getting ready to leave off-world to find the Nasyans a new home. When the airman who answers says he’s in his office, Janet thanks her lucky stars.

“What’s up, Doc?”

“I need you to come to Academy Hospital as soon as you can,” she says, sagging in relief at the sound of his voice. “Something’s wrong with Cassie and I can’t get into my office to check on her. She’s locked herself in and says she won’t open the door for anyone but you.”

“I’m on my way,” Jack replies. “Just hang tight and I’ll be right there.”

She’s pacing the hallway in front of her office when he arrives. Glancing around quickly and finding the hallway deserted, she reaches out and squeezes his upper arm - unwilling to grab him and hug him like she desperately wants to because there’s cameras - and gives him a grateful smile.

“Thank you for hurrying over,” she says softly. “That’s twice now in two months that you’ve left the base for me.”

“It’s no problem,” he replies, waving his hand. “Now, what’s going on with Cassie?”

“I don’t know, Jack, she won’t talk to me. She said she’d see you, only you.” Janet tries the door handle one more time and glances up at Jack when she finds it still locked. Biting her lip, she knocks lightly on the door. “Cassandra? It’s just me, honey, but I’ve got Colonel O’Neill with me.”

After a moment, the lock disengages and Janet glances at Jack one more time before pushing the door open. Her daughter is on the other side of her office, sitting on the floor with her knees pulled up and her arms wrapped around them tightly. Jack moves to sit next to her and Janet watches, the doctor in her visually scanning her daughter to see if she can spot any injuries. She doesn’t see anything, though that doesn’t really mean anything.

“Janet says you’ve been a little upset since Sam was here. What happened?” Jack asks and Cassie stares silently before scooting herself over to sit right next to him. Janet blinks a few times - determined not to let her emotions show - as she watches her daughter seek comfort from one of the father figures in her life. Janet and her lovers are careful when it comes to their relationship; they spend time like they did before they started seeing each other but they restrict themselves to spending the night with Janet - and vice versa - when Cassie’s at a friend’s house.

Janet knows the other four aren’t in this relationship lightly but she doesn’t want to take any chances with Cassie’s emotional well-being; if something happens and the relationship doesn’t work out, Janet wants things to be as least traumatic as possible for the young girl. Knowledge of their relationship seems to be the least of Cassie’s worries, though, and Janet’s caught off-guard by her daughter’s answer.

“She said she’d kill me if I told.”

“Well . . . you don’t mean kill you kill you.” Jack stumbles over his words and Janet can tell he’s just as shocked as she is when Cassie nods. “No, I doubt that.” 

“She said she would.”

“Cassie, honey, Sam loves you,” Janet says as she goes to down to one knee in front of the pair. Her brow furrows as she tries to understand what’s going on because Sam would never hurt Cassie. “She would never do anything to hurt you, baby.”

“She would now,” Cassie replies, leaning her head against Jack’s side. Jack glances over at Janet and frowns at her.

“Why?

“She’s a goa’uld.”

* * *

The drive to the base takes forever to Janet, though she knows it’s just the fear and concern that makes it feel interminable. Jack’s driving with one hand and has Janet’s hand in the other, their fingers laced as he stares straight ahead with a hard set to his jaw. They’re just passing the city limits of Colorado Springs before he finally speaks and Janet’s surprised to hear sadness in his voice.

“I should’ve known something was wrong. She said that Nasyan bit his tongue but there was blood all over her mouth and I should’ve known.”

“There’s no way you could’ve had any idea, Jack.” Janet squeezes his hand and shakes her head. “None of us could have known. If you really want to play the blame game, I should’ve known something was wrong when she came in for her post-mission physical and had redness in her throat.”

“I don’t understand how she could be a goa’uld and not have the signs of being taken as a host,” Jack muses. “You said there were no exterior marks, right?”

“Right. The only abnormality I saw was the redness at the back of her throat but I didn’t realize the goa’uld could take hosts that way so I brushed it aside as a sore throat.”

“Maybe Cassie was wrong?” Jack looks hopeful when he glances over at Janet and it pains her because she knows the feeling. “I mean, how can we even be sure that she’s right about this?”

“We can’t,” Janet sighs, using her free hand to rub at the bridge of her nose. “But we can’t ignore the possibility that she’s right, Jack. If there’s even a chance that a parasite got Sam, we have to take extreme measures.”

“The ones that aren’t going to be pleasant for anyone involved, right?” he snaps and then shakes his head and squeezes her hand. “I’m sorry, Janet, I just don’t want to think about Sam having a snake in her head.”

“It’s okay,” Janet replies softly, nodding. “I know what you mean.”

When they reach the base, they head straight for Hammond’s office and then to the infirmary. Janet goes to the supply closet by her office, grabs an autoinjecting syringe, and hands it to Jack. When she gives him the high dose sedative, she shakes her head at the look on his face.

“I know, but it’s the only way to be sure. If she is a goa’uld, she’ll be highly resistant to the sedative so we’ll be able to be sure it works is to give her a high dose.”

“And if she doesn’t have a snake in her head?” he asks incredulously.

“Then she’ll sleep here for a while until it wears off.” Janet shrugs helplessly. “It’s the best we can do, Jack. General Hammond says she’s not acting like herself and that’s reason enough to be cautious.”

Jack stares down at the syringe for a moment then sighs heavily. “Right. Let’s hope she’s just cranky from being shot at by the gliders.”

Janet follows him from the infirmary and as they walk to the control room, she silently prays that Sam’s just tired from the mission and unexpected firefight. Her mind jumps to every possible explanation and she’s worked herself up into a flurry of agitation by the time they reach the control room. Stopping at the door, Janet smiles faintly up at Jack and gives his arm a light squeeze.

“Good luck, Colonel.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll need it.”

She watches from the control room as Sam paces in front of the gate, her gaze intense. The blonde glances up at Janet for a brief moment and Janet feels a chill run through her; those aren’t the eyes of her lover - that’s not Sam in there - and it takes everything Janet has not to flinch under the cold stare. When Jack enters the gateroom and approaches the woman masquerading as Sam, Janet’s hard pressed not to chew her lip. The fact that the injection doesn’t even phase Sam sets off alarms in Janet’s head and when Jack looks up at her through the glass, Janet shakes her head.

“That was enough to take down an elephant,” she says, shock coloring her tone. The suddenly resonant tone of Sam’s voice as she lifts her gun and demands the gate open makes her jaw drop. When the sedative takes effect and Sam drops to the gate, Janet rushes for the gateroom.

* * *

Janet sits on a stool at Sam’s bedside, her eyes locked on the blonde’s chest to reassure herself that she’s still breathing. She’s still in shock over the scene in the gateroom and she knows that the sight of Sam’s icy glare and the goa’uld’s blatant disregard for the safety of others is going to stay with her for a long, long time. It’s terrifying to think that the Sam she knows is no longer there; according to their experiences, there’s nothing left of the host and Janet just can’t accept the thought of her lover being lost forever. 

Sam is restrained, leather cuffs circling her wrists and ankles. It’s been six hours and she’s shown no signs of wakefulness but Janet doesn’t want to take any chances when she does wake up. It was a hard choice to make, one that ended with the small doctor fighting tears, but she knows that if the situation were reversed, Sam would’ve taken every precaution to ensure the safety of the base.

“How’s she doing?” Jack’s voice draws Janet’s attention away from counting Sam’s breaths and she shakes her head slightly when he comes into view from around the privacy curtain.

“No change,” Janet says softly. “I keep hoping she’ll wake up as herself and this won’t be happening.”

Jack stands right behind her and sighs, resting his hand on her shoulder. “I know, me too.” He squeezes her shoulder lightly and Janet watches Sam’s vitals on the monitor. When she feels the stress of the situation building again, she leans back against Jack for a moment and then glances over her shoulder at him.

“Can I see you in my office, Colonel O’Neill?”

“Of course.” Jack keeps his hand on her shoulder as they slip into her office and as soon as the door closes, Janet’s in his arms with her face buried in his shoulder. She’s proud of herself for keeping her anxiety at bay until this point but when she feels Jack wrap his arms around her and rest his chin against her hair, she loses her calm facade and starts to shake.

“Please tell me I’m having a nightmare,” she whispers desperately. “Please tell me she’s not gone.”

“I can’t do that.” He holds her close and she feels the tension in his body. “I wish I could but I can’t.”

“This isn’t supposed to happen. Not to her, not to any of you,” Janet murmurs, her eyes starting to burn with unshed tears. “Not so soon. Please, Jack, please tell me this isn’t happening. We just found each other, we can’t say goodbye to her already.”

“I’m so sorry, Janet,” he whispers and when she feels him press a kiss to the top of her head, she crumbles. Her tears soak the chest of his green BDUs and she’s distantly aware of the way he’s guiding her toward the couch against one of the office walls. They sit, wrapped in each other’s arms, as she cries out her frustration and heartbreak. She doesn’t want to face the fact that Sam’s gone, that there’s no way to get her back - she clearly remembers what happened with Major Kawalsky - so she lets herself avoid reality by losing herself in the comfort Jack’s arms provide. ‘If I close my eyes, I can pretend none of this is happening.’

There’s a light knock on her office door, followed by Daniel’s quiet voice. “Doctor Fraiser?”

“Come in.” She sniffles and reluctantly pulls away from Jack so she can turn to look at Daniel. She’s not ready for the sight of his red-rimmed eyes and the fact that he’s been crying makes her heart ache even more. She reaches out for him and he settles himself next to her on the couch, close enough for her to gather him into a tight hug.

“I’ve been trying to research ways to remove the goa’uld and I can’t find anything,” he says and the pain in his voice makes her tremble. “I can’t find anything to help Sam.”

“We know,” Jack says, wrapping an arm around Janet’s shoulder and resting his other hand on Daniel’s arm. “There’s nothing you can do, Daniel.”

“I feel so helpless,” he mutters and Janet barks a harsh laugh.

“Preaching to the choir, sweetheart.” She closes her eyes and shakes her head. “I’ve never felt this helpless in my life.” She falls silent and tries to focus on her breathing, on calming herself down before she has to leave her office to face the horrible truth again. Her jaw starts to quiver but she forces the emotions down and pulls from the comfort of Jack and Daniel’s arms to put distance between herself and the pain she’s feeling. Swallowing once, she takes a deep breath and turns to look at her lovers. “I’m going to go back but you two are welcome to stay as long as you need.”

* * *

Sam is still sedated when Hammond makes the decision to have her moved to a holding cell. Janet supervises the transfer, making sure the blonde stays sedated throughout the entire process; she doesn’t want anyone hurt and she knows that with a goa’uld in her head, Sam is a genuine threat - the grenade stunt in the gateroom proved that. As they make their way to the secured cell, Janet monitors Sam’s vitals, watching for signs of wakefulness, but nothing changes.

The SFs waiting in the cell help Janet move the sedated woman from the gurney to the bottom bunk and Janet swallows hard against the rising emotions that just won’t leave her alone. Sam’s face is peaceful, without the cold anger of the goa’uld. Janet wants to reach over and run her finger down her lover’s cheek - to reassure herself, though she’s not sure how it’d be comforting at this point - but she’s mindful of the cameras and keeps her urge in check.

After she exits the cell, the SFs slide the door shut and Janet jumps slightly at the sound of the lock engaging. She stands there, her hands tucked into the pockets of her labcoat, and stares at the prone figure on the bed. This is the very last thing she could’ve imagined seeing when she woke up the morning and the thought of never waking up to bright blue eyes is almost more than she can bear. Turning on her heel, she leaves the holding room and storms down the hallway, her heart in her throat. She knows she needs to get her emotions under control but she’s too overwhelmed and there’s only one place she knows she can go to break down without prying eyes or ears.

She knocks on his door and holds her breath, her hands shaking as she waits for admittance. There's no sound for a moment and she realizes belatedly that he's probably entered a state of Kelno'reem. She's ready to turn and leave when she hears his soft voice bidding her to enter. “I’m sorry to interrupt you,” she says when she steps into his quarters and shuts the door behind her. “I needed to see you.” 

Teal’c rises gracefully from his position on the floor and moves to her, gathering her into his arms. Janet feels the relief flood through her as she’s swept into the hug and against his broad chest. She doesn’t cry - she’s pretty sure she’s out of tears to shed - but she trembles and shakes as the emotion overwhelms her again. Teal’c says nothing but his arms tighten around her and Janet’s grateful that she decided to stop here.

“It pains me to see you hurting,” he finally says and Janet closes her eyes at his soft words. “It pains me to know that there is nothing I can do to alleviate your suffering.”

“There’s nothing anyone can do,” she whispers, shaking her head. “She’s as good as dead and there’s nothing any of us can do.”

“Dal mek creon te shree tal'ma,” Teal’c intones quietly and when Janet pulls away just enough to look up at him with a curious frown, he’s quick to translate. “Our love does not end in death.”

“That’s beautiful, Teal’c.” Janet smiles weakly and reaches up to touch his cheek. “Our love doesn't end in death, no, but it’s unbearably difficult to accept that we’ve lost her.” When she sees the solitary tear that tips over his eyelashes and makes its way down his cheek, Janet’s fairly certain she’s having a heart attack. Teal’c, the strongest man she’s ever met, is crying. “Oh sweetheart, don’t-”  
  
“I apologize,” he says and Janet quickly shakes her head.

“No apologies, Teal’c.” She goes up on her tiptoes and kisses him gently. “Please don’t ever feel like you have to apologize for your emotions.” She leans back into him and lets him hold her, feeling calmer and more centered than she has since this whole nightmare started. When Jack storms into the infirmary an hour later, Janet’s attention is drawn to him immediately. She can tell he’s angry, which isn’t terribly surprising considering the circumstances, but there’s also an unreadable emotion playing across his face and because she’s never seen this particular look from Jack before, it takes Janet a moment to realize that what she’s seeing is fear. She hands off her task to her head nurse and nods toward her office. Jack follows her in and when she shuts the door, he’s suddenly incredibly angry. 

“That smug, arrogant, bitch!” he barks, slamming his open hand against the wall beside the door. Janet winces and takes a small step forward but he’s still too angry to approach. “That self-righteous parasitical bitch!”

“Hey,” she whispers, holding her hands out in front of her to try to get his attention without having to touch him - she knows startling him won’t end well when he’s this mad - as she steps closer. “Hey, tell me what’s wrong, Jack.”

“That damn goa’uld is what’s wrong!”

“I kinda figured that,” she says, smiling faintly. “I meant what’s wrong right now? What happened that’s got you so angry?”

“The snake won’t talk,” Jack says and Janet shakes her head.

“Is that so surprising?” She finally lets her hand rest against his upper arm and is pleased to see he doesn’t startle. Stepping around in front of him, she meets his gaze. “I know you’re having a hard time and that you want answers but we have to understand that the goa’uld isn’t likely to just tell us everything we want to know. Start small and work your way from there.”

Jack stares at her for a moment and then huffs a quiet laugh, his hands coming up to settle on her waist. “You’d make a good interrogator,” he says and kisses her quickly. “Are you off to Academy again?”

“Yeah, I’ve got rounds to do and patients to check in on before I come back here for the night,” she replies. “It’s not quite the evening I had planned, sleeping in my quarters alone but I guess it’ll have to do because I’m not leaving until everything is figured out.”

“Yeah, well, this isn’t what any of us had planned.” Jack tucks her hair behind her ear and gives her a slight smile. “I’ll grab Daniel and Teal’c and come by your quarters when you’re back from Academy. Hammond won’t notice anything odd because the four of us are closest to Sam so he’ll assume we’re supporting each other through this hard time.”

“Which is exactly what we’ll do,” Janet drawls. “Just not in the way he thinks.”

* * *

When Janet finds Doctor Jacobs in place of the Nasyan man at Academy, she raises the alarm and heads for her car at a run. She can’t really explain it but that sick feeling in her stomach’s morphed into a churning pit of unrest and she knows that whatever’s going to happen now, it’ll happen at the Mountain. She tries hard not to speed but her anxiety has her pushing forty miles over the speed limit and for once she doesn’t care. Her mind races the entire drive, her thoughts flitting from one lover to the next, and by the time she comes tearing into the Mountain’s officer parking lot, she’s shaking.

The guys are in a briefing with Hammond so Janet occupies herself by rearranging her desk drawers. She’s halfway through color coding her highlighters when her nurse knocks on her door and informs her that there’s a patient in need of treatment. Janet sighs and slips into her labcoat, reminding herself that Jack and the others will come down as soon as they can, and leaves her office to treat the young man sitting bewildered on a bed. When she hears his story, though, her anxiety spikes and she leaves her nurse to take the young man’s vitals as she hurries over to the phone on the wall.

“This is Doctor Fraiser. Sir, the driver of a transport truck just reported in and said he blacked out, that he doesn’t remember driving to the base from Academy Hospital.” She nods a few times and then hangs up. The sick feeling in her stomach is starting to blossom into full-on panic as she makes sure the medkits are all in place and she knows, by whatever brought her back to the Mountain, that she’ll need the kits soon. 

When the klaxons sound and Teal’c calls for a medteam to holding room delta, Janet’s heart nearly stops; that’s where Sam is. Her staff leap into action at her call and she grabs a medkit as they wheel a gurney out of the door and down the hall. Each running step echoes loudly in her ears and the only thing she’s consciously aware of is the thought that if Sam is dead, she’s not going to handle it well.

The group skids through the door to the holding room and Janet’s knees weaken at the sight of Jack kneeling beside a prone Sam. She hesitates for all of a split second and then rushes into the cell, dropping to her knees as her fingers seek out her lover’s pulse. It’s faint, erratic, and Janet can tell that she needs to act quickly. Waving a hand at her team to bring them close, she directs them to help her get Sam onto the gurney.

“Easy,” she says and she has an irrational moment of pride that her voice is steady. “Let’s get her to the infirmary now.”

Halfway back to the infirmary, though, Sam’s eyes drift shut and Janet swears under her breath. Pressing shaky fingers against the blonde’s carotid artery, Janet doesn’t even break stride as she jumps onto the gurney and straddles Sam’s hips, one hand gripping the other as she starts chest compressions. She focuses on Sam’s face, on the peaceful expression, as she performs CPR and tries desperately not to lose her composure.

“Let’s get on the table!” she yells out as they turn the corner into the infirmary. “I want an EKG and an EEG stat!” The gurney stops and she climbs down quickly, her mind racing. “Okay, on my count. Three, two, one!” They slide Sam from the gurney to the table and Janet focuses her entire being on trying to save her lover. She pushes epinephrine and waits impatiently to see if the drug will help but she’s sorely disappointed.

“Her pulse is erratic,” her nurse says and Janet frowns as she stares at the monitors they’ve hooked Sam up to.

“We’re getting feedback from the EEG,” she says, shaking her head slightly. “What the hell is this?”

“Two signals,” the nurse mutters and Janet swears silently.

“Isolate them,” she snaps. “We could be picking up the parasite’s signal and I can’t have it interfering with Captain Carter’s.”

Jack moves to stand next to her as she stares at the monitor and she can feel her tension mirrored in the man. “Doc?”

“I don’t know,” she admits and it hurts to have to say the words out loud. “I’ve never dealt with this situation before.” She looks up at Jack and fights to keep her voice calm. “The goa’uld looks like it’s dying and taking Carter with it.”

Jack rubs at his mouth and Janet nods slightly, turning back to Sam. The nurse informs her that the parasite is still weakening and Janet’s heart starts to pound. If she can’t find a way to separate them, the goa’uld is going to die and take Sam with it. She can’t fathom the thought of losing Sam this way, though, so she decides to take drastic measures.

“Let’s shock her one more time,” she says softly. “Forty joules.” Sam’s body jolts but there’s no change except for the alarm that sounds a flatline. Janet stares down at the body of her lover, her fingers going numb as the shock of the situation sets in. “The parasite is dead.” She looks over her shoulder at Jack and when she sees his pain, the sadness etched into his face, she swallows hard. She can’t let this be the end - she can’t give up without one more try. She won’t let Jack to keep that look on his face, like he’s lost part of himself, though she knows the feeling. She glances away from Jack and sighs softly. “Try another milligram of epi and then prepare for defib.”

“She’s out of v-fib!” The nurse’s surprised exclamation brings Janet’s head up and she steps right up to the table, her brow furrowed.

“She’s got a pulse,” she breathes, hurrying to slip her stethoscope in place so she can listen to Sam’s faint but stable pulse. After a moment of listening, Janet lets out a sigh of relief when the blonde’s heart settles and her heart rate evens out into a steady rhythm. She feels Jack step up beside her and they both inhale sharply when Sam’s eyes slowly open.

“You did it, Sam. You won.” Jack’s voice is gruff with emotion and Janet hears his unshed tears. She reaches out and briefly touches his shoulder before reaching down to press her fingers against Sam’s neck again, mostly to reassure herself that the blonde is very much alive.

“Wasn’t me,” Sam rasps, her eyes brimming with tears as she stares up at Jack.

“Oh yes it was,” he replies quickly. “You hung in there, you beat it.”

“The goa’uld gave its life for me,” Sam whispers, making Janet’s eyebrow lift. “It saved me.”

Janet watches her turn her head away and swallows her emotions. Turning to Jack, she grips his upper arm and steps in front of him to get his attention. “I’m going to run a few more tests and get her settled in a private room,” she says softly. “Give me an hour and come back with the others, okay?”

“Right.” Jack stares down at her for a second and then nods sharply. When he’s gone, Janet dismisses the nurses to go prepare a room and when they’re alone, she turns her attention to Sam.

“Hey there,” she whispers, taking Sam’s hand in her own. “You gave us quite a scare there.”

“Sorry,” Sam replies, her eyes opening to search Janet’s. “How long?”

“About twenty hours.” Janet’s jaw begins to tremble as her vision swims with tears. “We were sure you were gone.”

“Jolinar didn’t want to kill me. She apologized right before the Ashrak used his weapon on me.” Sam looks unbearably saddened and Janet reaches out to brush a piece of hair from Sam’s face.

“It’s okay, Sam, it’s over,” she says, trying to reassure herself as much as Sam. “It's going to be okay." She rests her hand on Sam's cheek and manages a watery smile. "Let's get you in a room before the boys come back, hmm?"

* * *

When Cassie sees Jack, she flings herself into his arms. Janet watches with a small smile, once again grateful that the young girl’s got such a strong support system in place. Jack and Daniel explain to the child that Sam’s not a goa’uld anymore, that the symbiote died and that Sam’s just a little shaken up from her experiences. When they enter the room, Sam’s still on her side facing away from them and Janet’s heart aches at the sight. She’s been unable to help Sam cope with the heavy emotions of her experience and the blonde’s only spoken a few mumbled words since they got her settled. Teal’c, Daniel, and Jack tried talking to her too but Janet knows that it’ll take extreme measure to reach her through the haze of sadness and she’s confident that Cassie’s the key. Janet watches her daughter climb up onto the bed and her soft voice reaches the trio standing at the door. 

“Sam, it’s me.” When Sam doesn’t respond, Cassie pulls on her shoulder gently and turns her enough to see her. “You’re going to be okay.”

Janet watches, her heart in her throat, as her daughter comforts her lover and when the young girl embraces Sam when the blonde starts to cry, Janet has to swipe at her own tears. She lets Cassie and Sam have a moment before she steps over and rests her hand on her daughter’s shoulder.

“We need to let Sam rest,” she says and then continues to cut off the protest she sees forming on Cassie’s lips. “No arguing. You can come back after dinner but right now Sam needs to rest.”

Cassie grudgingly agrees and after hugging Sam fiercely one last time, she hops off the bed and lets Daniel take her to the commissary. Janet watches them leave and then turns back to Sam, who’s staring up at her with teary eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers gruffly and Janet shakes her head, perching herself on the bed where Cassie was as she runs her fingers through Sam’s hair.

“There’s no need to apologize, Sam.” She smiles as Jack comes over and mimics her position. “We understand, sweetheart.”

“Anyone would be the same way,” Jack agrees, resting his hand on Sam’s hip as he speaks. “You’ve been through a lot and you can’t rush the healing.”

“I’ve tried to stop being sad but I just . . . I keep remembering Jolinar’s memories and how she faced the Ashrak with such courage.” Sam blinks rapidly but can’t stop the tears from falling. “She died to protect me, gave her life so I would live.” She shakes her head a little and her jaw trembles. “Her last thought was that at least she’d live on in someone’s memory.”

“I can’t imagine what you went through,” Janet says softly. “But I’m so incredibly grateful that Jolinar gave you back to us.”


	7. Movie Night

When Sam appears on her doorstep three days after the chaos of Jolinar, Janet lets her in without hesitation. Cassie’s home, which means Sam won’t be spending the night, but one look at her lover’s face tells Janet that she needs to talk. She ushers the blonde in and notes, with growing concern, that Sam’s shaking. Gently wrapping her hand around Sam’s arm, she guides her to her bedroom, pausing in the hallway just long enough to tell Cassie that she’ll be in her room if she needs her for help with her homework. She sits Sam on the edge of the bed and kneels in front of her, looking up into watery blue eyes. 

“What’s wrong, Sam?”

“I love you.” Sam’s voice is little more than a whisper but Janet hears each word clearly, as though they were shouted. She stares in shock, her eyes wide, and it takes her a full minute to finally find her voice.

“I love you too, sweetheart,” she breathes, pushing up to get closer to Sam. “And it’s not that I’m not ecstatic, because you have to know that I am, but what brought this on?”

“Almost dying made me realize that I’ve been lying to myself,” she whispers. “I’ve been telling myself that what I have with you and the guys isn’t serious and that it’s not real but Jolinar made me see that I love you all so much and I couldn’t risk letting another day go by without telling you.”

Janet blinks away her tears and smiles, cupping Sam’s face as she leans in and kisses her softly. “I love you so much, Sam. I was terrified that I’d lost you to the goa’uld but you came back to us and I realized that I don’t want to waste what we have. You, Daniel, Jack, Teal’c - you’re all so important to me and I can’t imagine my life without you all in it.”

Sam falls forward into Janet’s arms, holding her tight. Janet braces herself and takes the weight of the shaky woman, whispering soothingly to her as she holds her close. When Sam’s shaking finally stops, Janet helps her sit up and smiles tremulously at the blonde. “Feel better?”

“Yeah, surprisingly,” Sam replies, wiping at her eyes as she smiles sheepishly. “Sorry for barging in here while Cassie’s home.”

“Don’t you dare apologize, Samantha Carter.” Janet shakes her head emphatically, gripping Sam’s hands tightly. “You never have to apologize for coming over here, no matter what, okay? You’re always welcome here, sweetheart.” A light knock on the door interrupts them and Janet stares at Sam for just a moment longer before looking over at the closed door. “Come in, Cassie.”

Cassie opens the door slowly and pokes her head through the gap, her eyes wide with concern when she sees Sam’s teary smile. “Are you okay, Sam?”

“I’m fine, baby.” Sam pulls one hand from Janet’s grasp and holds her arms open. Janet watches with a grin as Cassie scurries over and slips into the embrace and as they hug, Janet feels her as though her heart is going to burst. She reaches up and rests her free hand against Cassie’s back.

“Sweetie, Sam’s still a little tired from what happened so she’s going to stay here tonight, okay? I just want to make sure she’s okay and would feel better if she stayed with us tonight,” she says, ignoring Sam’s raised eyebrow; she’s well aware of the rule she herself set in place about no sleepovers while Cassie’s home but she can’t help herself.

“Of course, Mom.” Cassie grins brightly, nodding enthusiastically. “We can watch a movie and have popcorn like the last time, right?”

“Absolutely. Why don’t you go pick out the movie - not _The Mummy_ \- and Sam and I will be along shortly.”

Cassie kisses Sam’s cheek quickly and gives her mother a hug on her way out of the room. When the door clicks shut behind her, Janet looks up at Sam and laughs at the knowing smirk on her face.

" _The Mummy_?"

Janet blushes an impressive shade of red as she mutters, "That would be -"

"Daniel's fault," Sam interrupts smoothly and Janet laughs.

"Yes. Yes it is." Janet hides her eyes for a moment and then shakes her head and huffs playfully. “We were getting ready to watch it and then things got sort of . . . distracted.”

Sam licks her lips and grins, leaning down to kiss Janet. She pulls back a little and mutters, “I’d like to hear all about that some time, you know.”

“Oh really?” Janet returns her grin and pushes up to kiss Sam hard. “I’m sure I can come up with some way to tell you all about it.” She kisses Sam again and then wraps her arms around her lover’s neck. “Or maybe show you?”

“I’d like that,” Sam whispers just before she kisses Janet again and when they pull away, she’s grinning brightly. “You really know how to lift my spirits.”

“If kissing is what it takes to make you realize that you’re loved, then so be it. I’ll take one for the team and kiss you constantly,” Janet says dramatically, which makes Sam laugh.

“Stop it, you doofus.” She cups Janet’s face and strokes her cheek with her thumb as she smiles at her. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, darling, and as much as I’d love to continue this, we should get out there and watch the movie with Cassie before she’s in here pestering us to hurry up.”

* * *

When _The Lion King_ ends, Cassie’s curled up on Sam’s lap and is dead to the world. Janet sits next to them and smiles, grateful to whatever higher power she can thank for bringing these two into her life. Reaching over, she tucks a wayward strand of hair behind Cassie’s ear and then smiles up at Sam, who’s watching her with a smile of her own.

“Sorry she decided you were more comfortable,” Janet says and Sam shrugs.

“I’m not. It’s nice to hold her again,” she says. Janet shifts her weight and kisses Sam’s cheek.

“She loves you, Sam.”

“I know, I love her too.”

Janet tilts her head and appraises the two of them, nodding to herself after a moment. “Let’s get Cassie to bed and then we’ll talk.”

Sam wiggles her eyebrows and leers playfully. “Oh yeah, like talking’s what we’re going to be doing.”

“Watch your mouth, Captain, or you’ll be on the couch tonight,” Janet says as she stands smoothly, quirking an eyebrow and hiding her smile at Sam’s stunned look. The brunette lets her stew for a moment and then grins, leaning over and kissing her nose before running her hand down Cassie’s back. “Cassie, sweetie, it’s time for bed.”

Cassie snuffles and buries her face in Sam’s neck, which makes the blonde grin. “It’s not a problem, I’ll just carry her.” She stands and Janet makes sure she’s steady on her feet before letting her pass. She watches from the doorway as Sam tucks Cassie into bed and she feels her eyes burn at the sight; it’s perfect, almost sheer domestic bliss, watching the woman she loves tuck her daughter in. When Sam drops a kiss to Cassie’s forehead and turns, Janet smiles shakily and holds her hand out.

She pulls Sam into her bedroom and pushes her gently onto the bed. “I love you,” she whispers, straddling Sam’s legs and settling in her lap while burying her hands in the blonde hair she loves to play with. “So much, Sam, so much it hurts.”

“Where does it hurt?” Sam whispers, wrapping her arms around Janet’s waist and pulling her close. “Tell me where it hurts so I can kiss it better.”


	8. Definitions

She’s not sure what wakes her. Lying in the dark, she blinks a few times and turns her head to glance at the digital clock on the nightstand; she’s got three hours before her alarm so she rolls over and closes her eyes again. Warm arms wrap around her waist and a warm body presses against hers, making her smile. He’s still asleep - she can tell by his deep, even breathing - but even in slumber he’s protective of her. Settling back against him, she goes back to dreaming.

When her alarm goes off three hours later, Janet’s already up and out of bed. She hurries over and turns the beeping off with one hand as she brushes her teeth with the other, her eyes traveling over the sight of Jack’s chest. He’s shifted since she left the bed and she takes the time to admire what the sheets don’t cover. Her toothbrush slows as her eyes slide south and she notices, with no small amount of excitement, that at least one part of him is awake already. Shaking herself back on task, she returns to the bathroom and leans over the sink to spit out the toothpaste in her mouth. When she straightens up, Jack’s standing in the doorway with a sleepy grin on his face.

“I felt you staring,” he says, making Janet blush. She uses the towel on the rack by the sink to wipe her mouth as she turns and grins at her lover.

“I’d apologize but I can’t say I’m sorry for something I don’t regret.”

“It’d be a cheap apology,” he agrees, moving into the bathroom and wrapping his arms around her. She kisses him and smiles at the way he licks his lips. “You taste like spearmint.”

“Well some of us have to be at the base in an hour and don’t have time to sleep in,” she teases, kissing him again. “Some of us don’t have downtime because they had an entire alien language downloaded into their brains.”

“I could’ve done without that.” Jack shakes his head and squeezes her gently. “But the Asgard helped me out so I could, ya know, not go crazy.”

“Remind me to send a fruit basket,” Janet says, her playful tone hiding the anxiety she feels every time she thinks about Jack stepping through the stargate without being able to tell anyone where he was going. “I’m thinking apples and pears.”

“Oh yeah, I’m sure Thor’s gonna love those,” Jack huffs as he kisses her neck and rests his chin on her shoulder. Janet smiles at his reflection, leaning back into him as she studies their image in the mirror. They make a striking couple, the two of them, and she can’t help but silently celebrate the fact that he’s slowly letting himself go grey.

“Regardless of what fruit he loves, I am grateful he was able to help you,” she whispers, leaning a little and turning her head so she can see him. “I’m grateful he was willing to take that language out of your mind.”

“You and me both.” Jack kisses her, holding her tight, and when he pulls back, he smiles faintly. “Although it was fun to make Daniel so jealous over knowing a language he didn’t.”

“It’s not nice to tease him,” she admonishes playfully, nudging him in the side lightly. “He pouted for a full three days afterwards.” Turning in his arms, she smiles up at him and snakes her arms around his waist to hold him tight. “I really do have to go, though. I’ve got physicals to give before SG-7 goes off-world and as much as I’d love to stay here with you and laze about in bed all day, I have to be at the Mountain in forty-five minutes.”

“Shame,” he replies slyly, giving her what Sam’s decided is his ‘I’m up to trouble and you’re going to enjoy the ride’ grin, “I’m in need of a physical myself, Doc.”

“Oh really? Big honkin’ needles and all?”

“Well no, definitely not those.”

“Didn’t think so.” She laughs at his lingering grimace and stretches up to kiss his cheek. “Tell ya what, Jack - you behave today and when I get home, I’ll give you a physical without the needles.”

“Ooo, sounds kinky.”

* * *

Her eight hour shift turns into a fourteen hour shift thanks to an unexpected ambush off-world that has SG-4 flying through the gate just ahead of a massive explosion. Janet and her team work nonstop for hours to get everyone through triage and patched up but when she finds herself walking out of the OR six hours after her shift was supposed to end, she groans quietly. She’s exhausted, worn down and pessimistic about Lieutenant Fulton’s chance of recovery from his wounds but she did her best to fix the damage and the only thing she can do now is wait to see if he wakes up.

She checks in with her nurses and leaves strict instructions before she heads topside just after midnight, desperate to climb into bed and sleep for at least ten hours. Hammond’s given her the next day off, barring any complications from Fulton, and she intends to use most of that time sleeping. The drive back to Colorado Springs is long and she’s fighting to keep her eyes open by the time she pulls into her driveway. The sight of Jack’s truck makes her grimace; she’s too tired to even consider holding a conversation and she knows he’ll want to be apprised of the situation on base.

Dropping her keys on the counter as she passes the kitchen, Janet notes that Cassie’s bedroom light is on. She quietly opens the girl’s door and smiles at the sight of her daughter sleeping with a book open on her chest; she’s clearly picking up bad habits from Sam. Cassie was ecstatic when Janet and the others sat her down and explained their relationship; she’d bounced from lap to lap with a dopey grin and kissed each person on the cheek, babbling about how her family was complete now. Janet’s glad they told her, especially since she was so open to it. She eases the book from Cassie’s grip and pulls her blanket up before pressing a kiss to her forehead. She stands in the doorway for a minute to watch her daughter sleep and smiles as she turns out the light. It never fails to amaze her how much she loves the girl.

Jack’s sitting in her bed, propped up against the headboard, as he watches The Simpsons. Janet flashes him a tired smile and starts the motions of getting ready for bed; she pops her crosstie open, unbuttons her blouse halfway and tugs it out of her slacks, steps out of her heels, and unzips her slacks in one fluid movement, the actions ingrained in her mind. She fights with herself for a moment over pajamas and then gives up, stripping off her bra and panties before heading for the bed. Jack lifts the blankets next to him and she slides under, scooting right up next to him with a sleepy yawn.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, settling herself down. “I didn’t mean to be so late.”

“Sam called me and let me know what was going on.” Jack runs his fingers through her hair, his voice soft as he speaks. “I fed Cass and helped her with her English homework before bed, and Daniel said he’d come by tomorrow to help her with the history project she has due. Don’t worry about it, Janet, just sleep.”

She grunts something that’s supposed to be a thank you but she’s asleep before she can properly finish the sentiment. When she finally wakes, the light coming in from the crack in the curtains tells her it’s been at least seven hours since she fell asleep. She stretches, arching her back and sighing happily when it pops, and when her hand lands on cold sheets, she looks over in surprise that Jack’s not in bed with her still. She shuffles into a more comfortable position and goes back to sleep. Cassie jumping onto her bed wakes Janet the second time and she grins sleepily at the way the young girl is chattering on and on about chocolate chip pancakes.

“Let your mom wake up, Cass.” Jack drops onto the bed behind Cassie and smiles down at Janet’s sleepy grin. “She got home late last night, remember?”

“Right.” Cassie nods and squirms her way up to Janet’s side, situating herself in her arms. “You got home really late last night.”

Janet kisses her daughter’s cheek and smiles at her. “I did but I slept well. What have you been doing?”

“Dad and I went to the store to get chocolate chips for pancakes,” Cassie says, scrunching her nose. “Didn’t you hear anything I was telling you?”

Janet stares at the girl in her arms with wide eyes. Her mind jumps from one thought to the next - _‘She just called him Dad?!’_ \-  before she thinks to look up at Jack and the utter joy on his face makes her vision blur with tears. Her jaw trembles as she looks down at Cassie but she laughs at the confusion on her daughter’s face.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, baby, nothing at all.” Janet kisses Cassie’s nose and pats her back. “Go play for a little while, okay? We'll go get ice cream when I'm up and dressed.”

“Okay!” Cassie squeezes her in a hug and then gives Jack a hug and quick kiss on the cheek on her way out of the room. When the door closes, Janet looks up at Jack and grins through her tears.

“So.”

“So indeed.” Jack takes Cassie’s place, gathering Janet in his arms once he’s lying next to her. They stare at each other with grins plastered on their faces until Jack speaks again. “Are you okay with her calling me Dad?”

“Are you kidding me?!” Janet laughs and nods enthusiastically. “It’s everything I could’ve hoped for. Hearing her call you Dad made me realize that I’m in this.”

Jack looks at her quizzically and she continues.

“Our relationship. With Teal’c, Daniel, and Sam. I’m in this for the long haul. I…” she hesitates briefly, but it’s the right thing to do. It’s the right time. “I love you, all of you. And . .  well, I think it’s time we seriously thought about what we’re doing. As a family.”

He stares at her for a moment and then smiles, that same joy back on his face. “I love you too, Janet. I love you so much it’s a physical ache in my chest. I agree, it’s time we consider what we’ve got and how to make it a little more defined.” He runs his finger over her lips lightly, his smile turning thoughtful. “I never thought I’d have this again, not after losing Sara and Charlie. I never thought I’d find anyone who could put up with me and here I’ve found not one but four people I love - well, five if you count Cassie.”

Janet presses her face into his neck, her eyes burning with unshed tears. It takes her a few tries but she finally gets her voice to work through the emotions lumped in her throat. “I look at you all and think that I’m the luckiest woman in the universe. I never imagined, not in my wildest dreams, that I could possibly love and be loved so fully. Michael ruined a lot of things for me, including the way I looked at love, and the fact that you, Sam, Daniel, Teal’c, and Cassie are in my life make me think that I had to suffer through him to get to my happily ever after.”

“It won’t be easy,” Jack warns softly. “Our line of work doesn’t let me pretend that nothing bad is going to happen again but I think that as long as we have each other, we’ll make it through.”


	9. Racing

Daniel surprises Janet by showing up in the infirmary an hour before SG-1 leaves for P2X-555 on a routine diplomatic mission. She’s been so busy up until now that when she first sees the scientist, her first thought is that she doesn’t have time to patch up whatever injury he’s managed to inflict on himself this time. She turns her attention back to checking Lieutenant Larson’s stitches and changes his bandages, though now her attention is split between placing the medical tape in the right spot and glancing at Daniel’s back where he’s talking to one of Janet’s nurses. When she’s done making sure Lieutenant Larson’s bandages are properly placed, she pulls off her gloves and heads over to Daniel.

“Do you need medical assistance, Doctor Jackson?”

“No, I was wondering if I could talk to you in your office,” he says, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with one hand while the other holds a bag. Janet smiles faintly and waves her hand in the direction of her office and follows Daniel in. She sets herself behind her desk and rests her head in her hands, yawning through the exhaustion that unexpectedly creeps up on her. She has her eyes closed so she’s surprised when the smell of garlic washes over her. Opening her eyes and looking up, her jaw drops at the sight of spaghetti and garlic bread in a styrofoam to-go container right in front of her.

“I brought lunch because I knew you wouldn’t have a chance to get out of the infirmary in time to eat,” Daniel explains as he sets a fork and napkin next to the food. “I know how caught up you get in your work and didn’t want you to miss lunch.”

“Oh Daniel,” Janet laughs, shaking her head. “This is the sweetest thing anyone’s done for me in a long time.” She holds her hand out and when he takes it, she pulls him down to kiss him. “Thank you, love. Do you have time to sit and eat with me?”

“You’re welcome.” He looks incredibly proud of himself and the pride on his face makes Janet laugh. He pulls another container out of the bag he brought and nods. “I thought we’d eat lunch together.”

They talk about Cassie’s high grade on the report about King Tut that Daniel helped her with and how excited the girl is to show him. Janet laughs at the beaming grin he gives her and when he leans over to wipe a smear of sauce from the corner of her mouth, she grabs his shirt collar and tugs him in for another kiss.

“Thank you for lunch,” she says when they pull apart. “I appreciate that you thought about me.”

“Of course I did,” he replies, pushing his glasses up again. “You’ll have to remember to eat lunch while we’re off-world. Maybe I’ll talk to Cathy and make sure she reminds you to eat.”

“Don’t you dare!” Janet stands and steps around her desk so she can sit herself on Daniel’s lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she tries - and fails almost immediately - to stare at him sternly. “My team would never let me live it down if you gave them instructions on how to handle me. They still haven’t forgotten Sam’s strict note about making sure I go home on time when you all aren’t here to make me leave.”

“Yeah, well, we love you and want you to take care of yourself when we’re not here to make sure you’re eating and sleeping,” he replies and Janet huffs.

“You do realize that I’m an adult and haven’t had a problem surviving before you four came along, right?”

“Mhmm.” Daniel kisses her nose. “But we also know you and how caught up you get in taking care of others and that sometimes you need someone to take care of you.”

“You’re lucky I love you,” she grumps playfully, pressing her finger into his side.

“Yes, yes I am. I love you too.” He brings her hand to his lips and kisses it lightly. “Very much.”

* * *

When SG-1 steps through the gate, Janet recognizes that a piece of her heart goes with them. She’s got enough to keep busy, of course, with three pre-mission and four post-mission physicals scheduled for the next few days - not to mention taking care of Cassie - so she’s not worried about being bored. But the moment the wormhole disengages, she’s lonely and feeling very much like the lover left behind. She knows that what she does is important and that without her, things wouldn’t run as smoothly as they do, but it’s still hard to not miss her lovers.

Cassie’s quiet at dinner and Janet knows it’s because the others aren’t home. The two of them are used to having at least one other person over for dinner so when it’s just the two of them, the silence is awkward. After twenty minutes of eating their burgers and staring at their plates, Janet huffs.

“Okay, so clearly we need to find something fun to do after dinner,” she says. Cassie shakes her head and goes to interrupt but Janet continues undeterred. “I’m thinking maybe roller skating or a trip to the go-karts that you like so much.”

“I have homework,” Cassie says to her french fries. “I can’t go anywhere until it’s done.”

“It’s Friday night, Cass, which means you have all weekend to finish it.”

“Mama says I can’t go anywhere until my homework’s done.” Cassie finally looks up and Janet’s struck by how much like Sam her serious expression is.

“What Mama doesn’t know won’t kill her,” Janet whispers conspiratorially. “Mama’s not home, Cassie. Hurry and finish your burger and we’ll go have a mother-daughter date night.”

“Really?!” Cassie’s entire face brightens. “We can really do something fun tonight?”

“I won’t tell Mama if you don’t,” Janet says, laughing at the way Cassie shakes her enthusiastically.

“I’m not gonna tell her, I promise,” she swears solemnly before hurrying to finish her food. Janet watches with a grin as she eats the rest of her own fries. When they’re done eating, she sends Cassie to her room to get dressed in suitable clothing; the weather’s starting to turn and if they’re going to be driving go karts outside, she’ll need warmth and the shorts and t-shirt she’s been wearing just won’t cut it.

The drive to the go-kart track doesn’t take long but Cassie’s so excited that she’s nearly vibrating by the time they get there. Janet can’t stop grinning and knows that she’ll have to deal with Sam’s disquiet about being countermanded while off-world but knowing she’ll have to face her lover later pales in comparison to the joy on her daughter’s face at the moment.

“Mom, look! We’re the only ones here tonight!” Cassie beams brightly and unbuckles her seat belt after Janet parks her SUV. When she’s free of the restraint, the girl launches herself into the front seat and grabs her mother’s shoulder. “We’re gonna have the whole track to ourselves!”

“We are,” Janet grins back. “That just means it’s going to make it easier for me to beat you fair and square.”

“Nuh uh, I’m gonna leave you in my dust!”

Janet barks a laugh and takes Cassie’s chin in her hand. “And where did you learn something like that?”

“Dad told me that’s what I’m supposed to say when you say you’re gonna win at go-karts.”

“Of _course_ he’s the one who taught you that.” Janet kisses Cassie’s nose and unbuckles her own seat belt. “Let’s go see who’s the better driver, hmm?”

* * *

She tucks Cassie into bed after their bedtime routine, after she’s checked for goa’ulds in the closet and read a chapter of the novel they’ve been reading. Janet sits on the edge of the bed and leans down to kiss her daughter’s forehead. “You drove like a pro tonight, sweetheart.”

“I did,” Cassie nods her agreement through a yawn. “I left you in the dust, just like Dad told me to. Papa said it’s not nice to brag about winning but I beat you by a lot.”

“Your papa is a wise man.” Janet smooths Cassie’s bangs from her face and smiles down at her. “But he’ll understand why you have to brag about this.”

“Will Mama, Papa, Dad, and Pop be home soon?” she asks sleepily, rolling over onto her side. “I miss them a lot, Mom.”

“I do too, baby, I do too.” Janet kisses Cassie’s cheek as she smiles sadly. “They’re scheduled to come back tomorrow and I happen to know Mama and Dad are going to come straight here after I clear them at the Mountain.”

“What about Papa and Pop?”

“They’re spending the night at Pop’s house but they’ll come spend the day with us,” Janet explains quietly.

“I wish our house was big enough for everyone to stay here,” Cassie mumbles and Janet stares at her as she slips off to sleep. It takes her ten minutes to gather her wits enough to exit her daughter’s room quietly and she stands in the doorway for a moment before turning off the light. She sits in her room, her eyes filled with tears at the quiet innocence in Cassie’s simple statement. Having her lovers together on a regular basis is something Janet wants desperately as well. She’d love to have a house large enough to give each person their own space but also the opportunity to spend time together and while she knows that Sam wants the same - they talked about it late one night after a particularly intense day at the Mountain, wrapped around each other in Janet’s bed after they made love - but she's not sure what the others think about the idea.

She heaves herself off her bed and changes into pajamas, pulling on Jack’s boxers and Sam’s t-shirt left over from the weekend before. She brushes her teeth with the green toothbrush sitting on her sink, even though she’s not entirely sure who the rightful owner of the toothbrush is - it’s one of her lovers’, so it doesn’t really matter much to her- and climbs under the blankets. She hates when SG-1 is off-world because it means that for the duration of their mission, she’s alone. It takes her longer to fall asleep when she doesn’t have at least one warm body to cuddle up to and tonight’s no different. When she does sleep, she dreams of a large house, her family happy and all together.


	10. Covers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a few liberties under the guise of an alternate universe in this chapter but it was necessary to make things work.

Janet’s hands shake as she makes notes in the chart open on her desk. The emotions raging through her alternate between extreme anger and unfailing relief; Hathor is dead but the parasitic bitch drugged her lovers and tried to convince them that everyone they loved was dead. There was an intense fight between the SG teams and Trofsky and Janet knows that it’s no small miracle that no one died trying to make it back through gate. She tries to calm herself as she writes notes in Sam’s file but she can’t focus long enough to form a coherent thought.

Tossing her pen down, she stands and smooths her skirt down before slipping into her labcoat. She’s been hiding in her office for the last hour in an attempt to settle her nerves but it’s been a lost cause and she knows she’ll feel better if she doesn’t isolate. When she steps into the main room of the infirmary and sees that Jack is finally asleep and Sam is resting with a book propped open on her lap, she’s surprised at the intense relief that floods her mind. _‘They’re fine,’_ she tells herself for the third time in as many hours. _‘You checked them yourself.’_

Sam smiles at her as she approaches and Janet wishes, not for the first time and certainly not for the last, that her nurses aren’t hovering over the two members of the SGC’s elite team. She knows it’s a necessary evil, especially since she can’t seem to handle her emotions where her injured lovers are concerned and can’t stay in the room for more than an hour at a time without requiring a break, but she doesn’t like that she can’t touch Sam’s cheek like she does at home.

“How’re you feeling?” she asks quietly, resting her hip against Sam’s bed as she returns the blonde’s smile. “Still have that headache?”

“I’m feeling much better, actually.” Sam closes her book but keeps her place marked with her finger. “The headache went away about twenty minutes ago and nothing else hurts so I guess I feel pretty good right now.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” Janet says quietly, pulling her penlight from her pocket. Clicking it on, she checks Sam’s pupillary response and smiles a little more freely when she sees the normal response. “And the nausea is gone as well?”

“Oh yeah,” Sam nods happily. “I feel like I could eat an entire pizza with all the toppings.”

“I can’t guarantee pizza but how about I call up to the commissary and see what’s on the menu?” Janet grips the blonde’s wrist under the pretense of checking her pulse but she holds the contact longer than strictly necessary. “I’m pretty sure I heard Cathy mention something about blue jello.”

“I do love blue jello,” Sam sighs. “But - and I can’t believe I’m actually about to say this - I think I want real food too.”

Janet drops Sam’s wrist to clasp her own hand to her heart. “Now I know you’re not the Captain Carter I cleared to go through the gate,” she breathes playfully, her eyes wide. “Who are you and what have you done with Samantha Carter?”

“Oh shush it,” the blonde huffs, dipping her head to hide her smile. “I’m just hungry. I still want blue jello, don’t worry.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Janet says and turns to go, before she feels a hand grab hers. She looks back at Sam, who has a serious, but loving look on her face.

“Thank you, Janet,” she says softly. Janet gives Sam’s hand a gentle squeeze and smiles at her.

“You’re welcome, Sam.” She wants to kiss her lover but she sees a nurse heading their way and stops herself. “I’ll see if I can’t get you something filling.”

* * *

Janet perches herself on a stool between Jack and Sam’s beds after her shift ends. Teal’c and Daniel are staying with Cassie on-base tonight so she knows their daughter is well taken care of, which puts her mind at ease and lets her focus on caring for two of her lovers. Sam tried to convince her to go home and sleep but Janet knows she wouldn’t sleep well - something she told Sam bluntly. She knows herself and knows she’d rather be here than anywhere else.

Sam’s finally asleep and Jack hasn’t woken from the sedative Janet gave him when the team came back from Hathor’s planet so the petite doctor uses the quiet time to catch up on charting progress notes. She’s halfway through writing in Sam’s chart when movement from Jack’s bed catches her attention. Watching her lover  shift and move around as he wakes, Janet admires his cat-like stretch and smiles as he snuffles before finally opening his eyes.

“Well hi there,” she says softly, moving from the stool to the edge of Jack’s bed. She sent her nurses to lunch earlier so she doesn’t hesitate to reach out and touch her lover’s cheek. “How’re you feeling?”

“Hi,” Jack grunts and blinks a few times. When he licks his lips, Janet grabs the glass of water she left on his bedside table and helps him take a small drink. He licks his lips again and smiles drowsily. “I’m better now.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” She smiles down at him. “You went through a lot on Hathor’s planet so I thought it best for you to rest as much as you needed.”

“Thanks,” he whispers, making Janet smile.

“You’re welcome. I’m always glad to assert my medical authority when it comes to making sure you rest when you’re not at your best.” She takes his hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. “If you’re feeling better when I leave the base in two hours, you and Sam get to come home with me.”

“That’s good incentive to feel better,” Jack says, his words slurring as his eyes start to droop again. Janet squeezes his hand and watches him drift off to sleep, smiling as he refuses to let go of her hand. She studies him while he sleeps, counting each breath he takes to reassure herself that he’s sleeping normally. It’s always stressful when one of her lovers is injured, especially when the goa’uld are involved, and she finds that she tends to hover a little more than normal when they’re in the infirmary.

“Going home sounds great,” Sam says sleepily and Janet smiles over at the drowsy woman.

“I’m fairly sure you two are coming home tonight, barring any complications with his sedative,” she says, dropping a kiss on Jack’s forehead before moving to sit on Sam’s bed. She laces their fingers together and smiles. “Feel better?”

“Oh yeah,” Sam breathes, stretching smoothly. “I feel great, actually.”

“And no nausea still?” Janet helps her sit up and pulls the bedside tray close. “I managed to sneak a few cups of blue jello from the commissary and thought we’d share them.”

“You know the way to my heart,” Sam laughs, grabbing and pulling on Janet’s hand to bring her close enough to kiss her. Janet grins and gives her knee a squeeze when she pulls away.

“Glad to hear I’m still doing things right.” Janet pulls the table closer and hands Sam a spoon. “Cassie sends her love.”

“She wasn’t too worried, was she?” Sam asks, her brow furrowing. Janet shakes her head as she digs into her jello.

“I told her you guys had a delay but that you’d be home soon,” she mumbles around a mouthful of jello. “Teal’c and Daniel are spending time with her on base until you two are released.”

“Daniel and Teal’c are good at distracting her,” Sam agrees, smiling as she takes a bite. “I’m glad you were able to keep her calm.”

“It wasn’t easy,” Janet admits. “She gets really clingy when you go off-world and when you weren’t home when you were supposed to be, she ended up sleeping in bed with me.”

Sam sets her cup of jello off to the side and leans forward with a frown. “We really have to find a way to reassure her when we’re through the gate.”

“She’s afraid you’ll go through the gate and not come back or that you’ll come back as a goa’uld.” Janet swallows against the lump in her throat and offers Sam a weak smile. “I can’t say I blame her.”

“We’ll always come home to you, Janet,” Sam says solemnly, grabbing the brunette's shoulders. “We’ll always come home to you and Cassie.”

“You can’t promise that,” she whispers, her chin quivering. “You can’t promise me that, Sam.”

Sam stares at her and nods slowly. “You’re right. But I can promise that we’ll do our very best to walk through the stargate at the end of each mission. We’ll fight to make it home every time because you and Cassie are here and so important to us.”

Janet throws her arms around Sam’s neck and presses her face into her lover’s shoulder. Her body trembles as she releases the emotion and anxiety of being on Earth while her lovers were missing on Hathor’s planet. Sam wraps her arms around her, holding her close, and Janet’s just starting to relax when she hears the door open. She pulls away from her lover and wipes at her eyes quickly, trying to make herself presentable. She’s getting ready to stand when the curtain around the beds shifts and General Hammond pokes his head around the corner. His eyes widen at the sight of Janet sitting on Sam’s bed with red eyes and a guilty look on her face.

"Doctor?"

Janet wipes her eyes again and stands quickly, shaking her head as she avoids meeting the general’s gaze. “I was just going to come give you my report, sir.”

“There’s no rush, Doctor Fraiser.” Hammond waves his hand dismissively and moves in closer. “I came to see how Captain Carter and Colonel O’Neill are feeling.”

“I’m fine, sir,” Sam says with a smile. “Tired but fine. The colonel was just awake but you missed him.”

Hammond stares at the two women long enough that Janet starts to feel uncomfortable - well, more than she already is. She shifts slightly, trying to keep from looking up but Hammond’s hand lands on her shoulder and she instinctively straightens and glances up.

“Doctor Fraiser, are you okay?”

The genuine concern in his voice makes Janet smile weakly. “Yes sir, I’m fine,” she says softly. Hammond shakes his head slightly.

“No, you’re not. Even I can see that you’re not okay.”

Janet’s flustered, trying hard to figure out what she can tell Hammond but before she can speak, Sam pipes up from behind her. “Sir, there’s something we need to tell you. Something that’s going to complicate things and are probably going to go against regulations but as our commanding officer, you need to know.”

“This sounds serious, Captain.” Hammond’s eyebrows rise higher than Teal’c’s best and Janet’s heart skips a beat. She whirls around and stares at her lover, shaking her head slightly. Sam ignores her and nods.

“It’s very serious, sir.” She meets Janet’s frightened gaze and continues. “General Hammond, I have to inform you that I’m in a relationship with Colonel O’Neill.” Hammond stares at the blonde in shock, his mouth slightly agape and Sam continues. “And Doctor Fraiser is in a relationship with Doctor Jackson.”

Janet lets her head drop forward as her cheeks burn a brilliant scarlet and she tries to curb the urge to flee for her office. Her voice is quiet as she whispers, “Yeah, that.”

“I wondered how long it’d take you to tell me,” Hammond says with a laugh at the comical looks of shock both women shoot him. “Oh please, you think you were discrete? It’s no secret on the base that there are relationships formed within SG-1.”

Janet swallows hard and tilts her head a little. “Sir -”

“Samantha Carter, I’ve known you since you were knee-high to a grasshopper. Your father and I served together for years and Jacob made me your godfather the day you were born,” Hammond says, making Janet choke on a cough. “I know you, Sam, and I know what’s going on here. You’ll have to keep your cover story in place to avoid red tape and interference from the Pentagon but as long as you stick with it, you won’t have any problems here.”

Janet and Sam stare in shock and without meaning to, they chorus, “Sir?!” at the same time. They glance at each other and then back at Hammond and just when Sam’s about to speak, a sleepy voice pipes up from the only other occupied bed.

“God, this is a relief,” Jack mumbles, breaking the tension. Both women laugh weakly, still staring at the general in shock but Hammond’s belly laugh sets them at ease.

"I know the Pentagon and the Air Force might not think so, but I know a happy SG-1 and base CMO are two good things to have, and if you five are happy when you're together then I'm not going to be the one to take that away from you,” he says. “Having you happy is more important than rules and regs.”

“Thank you, General.” Jack tries to push himself up and Janet hurries over to help him. “It’s nice to have your approval, sir.”  
“You have it, son. But let me make one thing very clear,” Hammond says and the smile can’t hide the serious tone. “If anyone asks, you’re to use your cover story. I can work with broken regs and chain of command easier than I can work with trying to explain this -” he waves his hand in their direction. “But I’m happy for you all. Finding love is hard, especially in the Air Force.”


	11. Promises

It’s raining and Janet makes a mad dash for the front door. Her uniform is drenched by the time she slips inside the house and because she knows Cassie’s still at school, she pulls her blouse from the waistband of her slacks and starts unbuttoning the wet shirt. Pushing it from her shoulders, she tugs her slacks down over her hips and steps out of her heels before kicking her pants to the side. She’s too tired to care that the tile floor of the entryway is getting wet and she tells herself that she’ll take the wet clothes to the laundry room after she warms up.

She pulls her bra and panties off as she makes her way to the master bathroom, her mind singularly focused on the thought of a warm shower. Grabbing a towel from the hall closet, she starts the shower and climbs in when steam starts filling the small room. She stands under the water with a quiet sigh, feeling each muscle relax as she starts to warm up.

“You walked right by me.” Arms wrap around her waist and she’s tugged back into a warm body. “I even said your name and nada.”

Janet turns in the embrace and smiles brightly, shaking her head. “You’ve been spending too much time around Jack.”

“Yeah, well, it was bound to happen,” Sam says with a grin. Janet wraps her arms around the blonde’s neck and stretches up for a kiss, her eyes fluttering shut at the feeling of the lithe body pressed against hers. They kiss for a minute before Janet pulls back and bites her lip.

“Not that I’m not incredibly happy to see you but why are you home already? It’s only noon,” she asks, distracted by the way Sam’s sliding her hands over her hips and stomach. She can’t focus on conversation when Sam touches her like this so she covers her lover’s hands with her own and blinks to clear the haze of arousal. “Are you sick?”

“No, not sick.” Sam dips her head and kisses Janet quickly. “There was an incident in my lab and Hammond gave me the rest of the day off.”

“An _incident?”_ Janet squeaks, pulling away to look her over with a critical eye. “What’d you blow up this time?”

“Why is it always something I’ve blown up?” Sam huffs indignantly. “I’m not always the one who causes the explosions.”

“True enough but I also happen to know that ninety percent of the time, it’s your fault,” Janet replies with a sly grin.

“You make me sound like I’m some mad scientist with a history of blowing things up!” Sam pouts, her lower lip sticking out slightly. Janet kisses her as she laughs, nipping at the pouting lip.

“That’s because you are a mad scientist with a history of blowing things up,” she says with a smile. “But you’re my mad scientist. Really though, did you hurt yourself?”

“It was a little bump to the head, nothing serious.” Sam shrugs and smiles sheepishly. “Doctor Warner cleared me but Hammond still gave me the day off.”

Janet runs her fingers through blonde hair, wincing at the lump she finds. “That feels like more than a little bump,” she says, shaking her head. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, sweetheart,” Sam replies, kissing Janet’s nose. “I promise, Janet, I’m okay. No headache, no nausea, nothing. Warner did tests and cleared me, which he wouldn’t have done if there was something wrong.”

Janet nods slowly, willing her heart to stop racing at the thought of Sam being hurt. She smiles faintly and leans into Sam, her eyes closing as she draws comfort from her presence. When Sam’s arms wrap around her again, Janet leans into her and buries her face in her lover’s shoulder.

“I worry about you,” she admits quietly. “You blow things up so often that being in your lab is just as dangerous as being off-world.”

Sam uses a finger to lift Janet’s chin and she smiles at the brunette. “At least I know the CMO is talented and good at patching me up,” she says softly. Janet blinks furiously and presses her lips together as she struggles to keep her emotions in check.

“I have a lot of practice,” she whispers.

“For which I’m grateful.” Sam kisses her gently, pulling her close. “I love you, Janet.”

“I love you too.” Janet lets her hands roam, letting the soft skin soothe her. She pushes up on her tiptoes and deepens the kiss, her eyes sliding shut. She laughs softly when Sam turns and presses her against the wall of the shower but falls silent when the blonde slides a thigh between her legs and pushes up, making her knees weak.

Because she has her eyes closed, she’s caught by surprise when Sam’s hand finds her breast. She whimpers as long fingers tweak and squeeze the sensitive flesh and it’s only Sam’s leg that keeps her from sliding down the wall. Her own hands start to wander and when she cups the weight of her lover's breasts in her hands, she's pleased to hear the blonde groan.

* * *

She’s lying in Sam’s arms, her head resting on her lover’s chest, their fingers tangled together where their hands lay on Sam’s hip. Her hair is still damp and she knows that if she doesn’t thoroughly dry it before she falls asleep, she’ll have a hell of a time trying to tame her bedhead in the morning. She’s too comfortable to move, though, so she resigns herself to the inevitability of fighting with her hair. Sam’s arm tightens around Janet’s shoulder and the brunette lifts her head to shoot the other woman a smile.

“I’m going to have tile marks on my back for days,” she pouts playfully but Sam looks utterly unrepentant.

“Hey, I still have scratch marks from last week.” Sam drops a kiss on Janet’s nose and grins brightly. “At least you can cover yours with clothing - I had to tell a concerned Siler that I got a rambunctious kitten who likes to use my neck as a scratching post.”

“Well, I mean -”

“Don’t even go there,” Sam laughs, rolling on top of Janet in a quick flash of movement. “Just be grateful I’m not the vindictive type of lover who'd leave a hickey on your neck as payback."

"Lucky me," Janet quips. She arches her back with a sly smile and laughs at Sam's sharp inhale. "So - aside from blowing up yet another alien artifact - how was your day?"

"Highly improved once you got home." Sam kisses her nose and then frowns, staring down at Janet with a suspicious look. "You were home awfully early too."

"I was at Academy until lunch," she replies with an easy smile. "And then I met with my realtor."

Sam stares down at her, her eyes wide. "Why a realtor?"

"Let me show you," Janet breathes, beaming brightly as she rolls over enough to grab the manila file that's been sitting on her nightstand. She sits up and rests her back against the wall as she flips the file open. "I found a house."

"Not to point out the obvious, sweetheart, but you already have a house."

"I do. And so do you and Jack - and Daniel has an apartment," she replies with a smile. "Something Cass said stuck with me and made me think about a lot of things. I told you all that I'm in this, wholeheartedly and without reservation, right?" Sam nods and Janet can almost hear the wheels turning in her mind. "When I told Jack that I love him, I told him we need to look at what we're doing as a family and I mean it. We may not be a traditional family, not by any means, but I want us to be as normal as possible." She takes a breath and smiles shyly. "I found a house for us. All of us."

She’s irrationally proud of herself for being calm as she explains. This is important to her, more than anything has been in a long time; she wants to give Cassie a good and stable home with her parents all in one place and, if she’s honest, she wants to have her lovers around her on a regular basis. Their current set-up isn’t terrible but it isn't ideal either - she’d love to come home and have her family close.

“You found a house for us,” Sam repeats, her eyebrow lifting in an impressive imitation of Teal’c. “You want us to move in together.”

“Yes, yes I do.” Janet worries her lower lip with her teeth as she stares at the shellshocked blonde, her heart in her throat. “I, uh, I have pictures of the house I found."

“Oh Janet,” Sam says softly, her blue eyes wide. “Oh sweetheart, I’d love to see pictures.” She sits up and scoots next to Janet, wrapping her arm around the petite woman’s shoulder. “Let’s see the house you think can live up to Jack’s pickiness.”


	12. Homeowners

Janet wakes to the sound of Cassie’s laughter drifting through her open bedroom window. Rolling to the side, she looks at the clock on the nightstand and smiles sleepily at the fact that she’s managed to sleep in today - thanks, no doubt, to Cassier’s thoughtfulness and astute awareness of her mother’s mental state. It’s been a rough few days, trying to help Jack cope with the emotions of the Orbanian mission and the stress of getting attached to the young Merrin. Jack’s not one for sharing his thoughts, even within the close-knit circle of his lovers, but Janet’s not willing to let him shove it aside. A quiet knock on her bedroom door brings Janet’s attention back to the present and Teal’c’s gentle smile as he peeks in the room makes her grin brightly.

“Good morning,” he says with a slight nod. “You slept well?”

“I did, thank you.” She pulls herself upright and pats the empty part of the bed next to her, watching with a smile as the tall man enters the room - closing the door behind him - and crosses to sit next to her. “Thank you for letting me sleep.”

“You are most welcome,” he replies quietly, reaching over to rest his hand on her blanket-covered knee. Janet shifts and leans against him, letting her head rest against his broad chest. The muted sound of his steady heartbeat makes her smile and when she wraps her arms around him, the way he engulfs her in a warm embrace makes her sigh softly. She loves the security of being in his arms, the way he makes her feel like nothing could possibly harm her. Pressing a kiss to his shoulder, she smiles up at him.

“Are you settled in?”

“Indeed. I did not appreciate how liberating it is to own property,” he says and Janet grins.

“It’s definitely a freeing experience.” She tightens her arms around him for a moment. “You’re a homeowner now, sweetie, mortgage and all.” From anyone else, the smile he gives her would be dull but from him, it’s blinding. Janet kisses him, a quick peck on the lips, before she pulls away with a grin. “Jack’s kept Cassie busy this morning?”

“He has.” His eyebrow lifts slightly. “I believe he is still feeling remorse over the situation with the Orbanians and is attempting to make amends for being unable to prevent Merrin from undergoing the procedure.”

“I’m afraid I agree,” Janet sighs and shakes her head. “He’s trying so hard to make up for something he had no control over.” Her finger traces light symbols on Teal’c’s thigh. “I don’t know how we can help him. Maybe letting him work it out through Cassie is the right thing to do?”

“I am uncertain of the correct way to help him understand that he was not at fault.”

“Me too, sweetie, me too.”

* * *

When she steps out onto the back deck of the new house - ‘Our new house!’ - Janet smiles at the sight presented to her. Jack and Daniel are chasing Cassie around the sprawling yard as the girl runs after Dog; she tried valiantly to get the girl to name her dog something less obvious but Cassie was set on the name and Janet had to admit that it was funny. Jack hadn’t been quite so amused, mumbling something about hoping to be a namesake, but Cassie persisted and the name stuck.

“Mom!”

Cassie swerves mid-step when she spots her mother and runs for the stairs, taking them two at a time. Janet braces herself and catches the girl when she launches herself at her and laughs at the tight hug.

“Good morning, sweetheart.” Janet kisses Cassie’s forehead and smiles down at her. “I see you’re busy.”

“Dad and Pop tried to catch me and tickle me.” Cassie’s face screws up into a grimace and Janet laughs. “But I was too fast ‘cause I was trying to catch Dog and tickle him.”

“I see.” Glancing up at the men approaching with grins, Janet winks. “Did they get you at all?”

“Nope! I’m too fast for them,” Cassie replies proudly, making Janet laugh again. She greets Jack and Daniel with a kiss and turns, wrapping her arm around Cassie’s shoulder as she guides her over to the bench glider by the railing.

“Good girl,” she says, pulling her down to sit with her. “Where’s Mama?”

“She had to go to the store ‘cause she tried to make breakfast but burned the eggs.”

Janet looks over at her lovers and shakes her head in disbelief. “You let Sam cook?”

Daniel grins brightly from where he’s standing at the stairs and Jack laughs as he shrugs and says, “We tried to change her mind but you know how she gets when she has her mind set on something.”

“Mama said she was gonna make scrambled eggs and toast but it didn’t really work so well,” Cassie sighs, screwing up her face in a grimace. “I didn’t know eggs could be so brown.”

“And that’s why we don’t let her cook.” Janet rolls her eyes and kisses the top of Cassie’s head. “How long ago did she go to the store?”

“Long enough that she’s back.” Sam’s voice from the door makes them all turn to look at her and Janet’s sure that the sheepish grin on her face is the most adorable thing she’s ever seen.

“I hear they let you cook.”

“Hey!”

* * *

Janet smiles at the intense look of concentration on Jack’s face as he stares at the television. Cassie chose the movie and while Janet has no problem following along, Jack’s clearly lost. Leaning over, Janet rests against her lover and grins.

“Having trouble?” she whispers, laughing at his nod. “He’s a vampire, she’s a human, and the buff boy is a werewolf.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Jack huffs, shaking his head. “Why do we even let her watch this crap?”

“Because it makes her happy.” Janet kisses his shoulder and shrugs. “Anything to make her happy.”

“We really need to rethink her movie privileges,” Sam adds from where she’s sitting on the other couch with Daniel, their arms wrapped around each other. Cassie looks over from Teal’c’s side and frowns at her parents.

“Shhh!” She looks so insulted that they’d dare speak during the movie that Janet has to muffle her laughter into Jack’s shoulder. They fall silent again so Cassie can enjoy her movie and Janet’s so caught up in watching her daughter enjoy the movie that the feeling of Jack’s hand sliding under her shirt catches her by surprise. She stares up at him in surprise but his eyes are on the television so she bites her lip and turns back to the movie. When his fingers start climbing up her ribs, she shakes her head and sighs quietly.

“I can’t focus on the movie,” she says, pulling away from Jack and standing. “I’m going to lie down for a little while.”

She leaves the rec room and doesn’t have to look to know that Jack’s following her. By the time she reaches the main floor, Jack’s footsteps sound just behind her. Grinning impishly, Janet pauses at the top of the stairs for all of a second and then takes off at a run, hitting the stairs in three steps and running up them as fast as she can. She just manages to step onto the landing of the second floor when she’s swept off her feet. Twisting and squirming, she laughs as Jack readjusts his hold on her and carries her to her bedroom.

“Jack, put me down!” She shrieks when he complies and tosses her onto her bed, his eyes dark as he stares down at her. The look in his gaze makes her swallow hard and scoot back onto the bed so she’s sitting against her pillows. “Jack?”

“It’s not nice to tease,” he says smoothly. Janet watches with wide eyes as he starts to unbutton his shirt, his eyes never leaving her face. She licks her lips as his chest is revealed - she’s definitely a chest person and Jack’s is just so delicious - and the sight of it threatens to short circuit her brain. Inhaling raggedly, she glances up at his face and is overwhelmed by the lust she sees there.

“So what’s my punishment for teasing?” she breathes, vaguely aware of the way she’s teasing him again. Jack just grins at her and unbuttons his jeans, pushing his boxers down over his hips with the denim.

“I’m sure I can think of something,” Jack drawls and Janet’s breath catches at the clear evidence of his arousal. Lifting an eyebrow, she grins brightly and decides to tease him a little more before capitulating.

“And why is it that you’re gloriously naked and I’m still dressed?”

“Start getting naked _now_.” Jack’s voice is a growl and the sound of it sends chills straight down Janet’s spine. She obeys the command, her fingers shakily tugging the hem of her shirt up as she watches him climb his way up the bed. His hands wrapping around her ankles serve as the only warning she has before he pulls her down to lie the bed and covers her body with his. She laughs, squirming under him in a futile attempt to get away. His mouth latches onto the point where her neck meets her shoulder and her mind goes blank.


End file.
